Comments on: New Year’s Resolution: We Will Speak More Spanish at Home

By: Becky

Becky — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 03:03:33 +0000

Don’t be hard on yourself:)- I completely understand! There are so many times that I am missing vocabulary and would sounds ridiculous substituting every other word in English. I agree- it’s about learning more vocab and (for me) getting in the habit of talking around the word or giving a synonym or definition. When they were babies, I was learning new words like chupón, babero, amamantar, and now I’m trying to learn words about science, sports, or nature. The other day we went on a hike and came home to show my husband our findings. My son announced “Encontré pine needles y sticky sap y berries.” It’s all a work in progress:).

By: Sunocean18

Sunocean18 — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 21:17:58 +0000

Great resolution, and good luck to you! When I read your post, I felt as though I will be in the same situation once my boys get older. They are so young now, that it’s very easy for me to speak the language because of basic concepts and vocabulary. My boys are 3 and 1 years old, and we only speak Spanish at home, but I find myself struggling more now with the oldest. For example, this morning we went out for a walk, and he pointed at a fire hydrant, and asked “que es eso mama?” I had no clue. These are the times I wish I had a smart phone so I can quickly look stuff up (I am stuck in the early 2000s and still have a basic phone with only texting capabilities!!) Anyhow, thankfully my husband was there, and he said it was a “Boca de incendio” and that was that. BUT, situations like this are always happening. Which means I need to expand my vocabulary. This is where I think the luxury of the dual immersion comes in – since you know they are being exposed to the language at school you may not have to be so strict with the Spanish at home, but my husband and I are still debating that possibility since our local school district is great we are not sure about sending the little ones to a dual immersion program that is only six years old. Anyhow, didn’t mean to go off on a tangent but my point is that I can relate. There are times that during dinner my husband asks, “Como te fue en el trabajo” and I just repond “te digo mas tarde” because I know that once the boys go to bed, our English time begins. I know that is lazy on my part and I need to practice more, but it’s just so much easier for me to speak in English. However, I realize the importance of Spanish, if I didn’t I wouldn’t have dedicated this much time so far.

By: Becky

Becky — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:09:09 +0000

Megan- so many similarities! Congratulations on raising your kids to be bilingual. We are also planning a trip to Mexico this summer for some much-needed immersion:). Good luck with your resolution as well!

By: Megan Romero

Megan Romero — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 05:41:47 +0000

I encounter the same issues, and I have the same resolution to speak more Spanish at home. I teach Spanish and have studied extensively about learning a second language, but it is not my native language, so it’s not easy. My 9 year old speaks to me in Spanish pretty much just when he wants something…haha. My 3 year old speaks a (mostly English) Spanglish. I am the only one who they hear Spanish from on a regular basis; my husband is a native speaker but he chooses to speak only in English, as does his mother (she claims my son doesn’t listen to her when she speaks in Spanish, which isn’t really true.). We travel to Mexico to see my in-laws about once a year, and plan on sending my son there in the near future to improve his Spanish.

I wish you luck on your resolution!

By: Becky

Becky — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:06:19 +0000

Thank you Chelsea!:) Sometimes I need an “official start date” in order to re-energize. I’m thinking that on the first of every month I will have a mini-New Years (or new month?) and evaluate what is working and what isn’t, and maybe what to focus on. Thank you for the supportive words and good luck in 2013!

By: Chelsea Torres

Chelsea Torres — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:06:56 +0000

I could have written this! I know exactly how you’re feeling, Becky. It takes a lot of mental energy to communicate in your nonnative language, and we all resort to comfort more often than not. My family has unintentionally switched from ML@H to OPOL (since my son’s father and I divorced), and although I have the reassurance that he’s getting tons of Spanish at his other home, I still feel terrible about how little we converse in Spanish at my house now.

Thanks for giving me a great resolution idea. Best of luck with yours!