I understand completely what you are going through. I did not mention that on my post, but yes, many of the people I hear talking in English to their children don’t know proper English themselves. So, it is twice as bad for them to be talking in English to their kids (that way they’ll both lose their parent’s Spanish and also learning a language from a non-native speaker to put it gently). Also, many Hispanics are so eager for their children to learn English as if it was possible for them not to while going to school and living here. Fortunately, you are not alone. It seems we don’t exist, but there are many Latinos, like me and the ladies who commented above who are trying to instill pride and giving their children the opportunity to be bilingual. Keep doing it and your son will thank you when he grows up.
Thanks for your comment and for reading!

I want to thank all of you for your comments. Below are individual responses to your insights. Me alegra mucho que les haya gustado el artículo y sobre todo que estén decididas a hacer de sus hijos bilingues. ¡Un fuerte abrazo a todas!

@Sue: ¡Muchas gracias Sue! Jajajaja, lo de tirana no me vendría mal. Sí, creo que es importante destacar el bilingualismo entre nuestros hijos y ayudarlos a estar en contacto con la cultura. Un abrazo para ti también.

@Marcela: Me alegra que te haya gustado el escrito. Sé que es difícil mantener eso, sobre todo cuando uno habla inglés. Incluso conozco padres que casi no saben inglés y les pasa lo mismo, pero hay que tratar de ir un poquito más allá y darles ese regalo a nuestros niños.

@Sandra: Thanks for your comment. I totally agree with you that it is easier said than done. It is hard work to try to go all-Spanish. How I said in the article, I know I am at the easiest stage right now, but I am preparing for when it gets harder. I understand that in your case you feel more comfortable in English, perhaps because that’s truly your first language and I see your point about not confusing or teaching the wrong Spanish. What I can think of, if you want your children to be bilingual, is that maybe you all can enroll in classes and this could be something fun you all do together and will help them and improve your knowledge. Good luck to you and thanks for reading!

@Valentina: Thank you Valentina! I’m glad you enjoyed reading and you are trying to achieve bilingualism in your children as well.

@Eliza: Thanks so much for your comment! I’m really glad you liked it. Your example is one of many, that even though it is not easy to teach Spanish to our kids, it’s certainly achievable. There always be a language of the two in which a person feels more comfortable communicating, and for our children who are being raised here, its okay if that language is English; we just have to work hard so they don’t forget Spanish and they are able to communicate properly in Spanish as well. There will always be people who don’t see the importance in making their kids bilingual, but those of us who do care should continue to work on it and maybe change some mindsets in the process.

@Elisa: Thank you! You are one of the many Latinas from here who make us proud and reinforce that speaking in Spanish it’s a birthright for our kids. Obviously, the reason you are doing that it’s because your parents did it with you and that’s the beauty of it. If we succeed, our children will pass Spanish along to their kids, and the chain will continue. You are so right about American children learning the language and being able to speak, read and write better than so many Latinos. We need to work to change that, one child at a time.

@Ingrid: ¡Muchas gracias Ingrid! Creo que esa es la idea principal, hacer que el español sea el idioma de la familia, como su código especial y particular. En España, por ejemplo, podemos ver como los catalanes aprenden español en la escuela por ser el idioma oficial, pero todo el mundo habla catalán por ser el idioma de la comunidad y el de sus padres.

@Valeska: Thank you for reading! I am so happy to hear from you and the others how they do care about teaching Spanish to their children. Little by little there will be more of us. You are doing a great thing, and I agree, when you know both languages it gets harder because kids know you can understand them if they speak in English. But, it’s a daily thing to remind yourself “Spanish only,” like you said. You’ll see the payoff. Living in NY has given me the encouragement to continue, because most Latinos I know here are bilingual, they can speak both languages without problem. Keep it up! Let’s continue with our goal!

Also, I see so many American children mastering the Spanish language in immersion programs. One of the tragedies I see is these American children have a leg up over a Latino child who was never taught to read and write in his/her own language. Sad.