About: Ana Flores

“He’s confused.” This seems to be the refrain of my interactions with monolinguals these days. Talking is the big milestone for two-year-olds and would be the topic of conversation even if I weren’t speaking Spanish with my son. Because I am, though, it feels like a rather contentious subject. SpanglishBaby readers are already familiar with the debate over code-switching and its role in fluency. We know that experts confirm that mixing languages is a sophisticated linguistic skill, not a signRead More ...

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mexico´s independence (no, it´s not celebrated on 5 de mayo!) and we’re already preparing for it. Living in the U.S. it´s nearly impossible not to be influenced by one of the myriad elements that make up the rich and diverse Mexican culture.  It imbues or food, our TV screens, our slang and our music.  Mexican music has influenced genres across the board and still continues to be predominant on the scene.  But fewRead More ...

  As soon as we finished watching Speaking in Tongues, an inspiring documentary film which follows the journey of four children as they become bilingual while immersed in dual language programs, my husband turned to me and declared: “We have to do the same for Vanessa.” The award-winning film, produced and directed by the husband-and-wife team of Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, showcases the stories of four kids—and their families—from completely different backgrounds as they struggle and triumph at becomingRead More ...

Ay, food…It’s not only the way to a man’s heart (or so they say), but also the passage to the sweetest of memories and the preservation of traditions.  Part of our journey of raising bilingual and bicultural children is instilling in them a love and passion to the cultural elements that are tied to their mother tongue.  Every language carries with it a magical bag filled with the music, dances, rituals, artistic expressions and the food that identifies it.  LasRead More ...

I come from a family of besucones. In other words, I’m surrounded by those who love to give and receive tons of kisses. I’ve never been too much into it myself, that is, until my daughter was born almost four years ago and since then, I haven’t been able to stop showering her with kisses every chance I get. She’s a besucona too, so this has not been a problem. I still remember the first time she gave a “real”Read More ...

A few days ago I went to the parent-teacher conference at my daughter’s preschool. I can’t believe she’s nearing the end of her first full year in preschool. Besides the fact that I was told a few things I already knew and expected—Vanessa knows what she wants and she’ll try everything until she succeeds—other things were a bit of a surprise for me. I should start by saying that we use the mL@H method, so the only English she’s exposedRead More ...