SpanglishBaby » bilingual is better

Talking Raising Bilingual Kids on the TODAY Show!

Ana Flores — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 16:10:10 +0000

I’m still in cloud nine. We’ve been trying to land a spot on the TODAY Show for a few years now, but especially after we published our book Bilingual is Better last year.

Why? Because we want to bring to a national platform our message that raising kids in more than one language is one of the best gifts you can give them. We have been blessed with interviews on Univision and Telemundo to promote the book, but we wanted to be in a general market morning show because we know the impact that has and the ripple effect in taking our mission far and wide.

And it finally happened.

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Yes, we agree the segment was way too short. Erika Levy, Associate Professor of Speech and Language Pathology, Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and I definitely had a lot more to share and that needs to be said and Natalie Morales and Willie Geist definitely had a lot more questions. Natalie stayed with us after we went off air sharing how she wishes she would have made a bigger effort to speak Spanish and/or Portuguese to her kids. But she admits to it being really tough for her since her husband only speaks English. We reassured her that it’s really not too late.

A huge thank you to the TODAY Show producers, staff and talent that treated us so well. Gracias to all who shared the video via Facebook, Twitter, emails, etc. The response has been overwhelming and we can’t wait to see what’s next because, yes, BILINGUAL IS BETTER!

Are Two Languages Better Than One? {Infographic}

Ana Flores — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:24:41 +0000

It’s always fun to see the benefits of bilingualism laid out in a colorful infographic like the one below I found on UnivisionNews.com.

Monolingual VS Bilingual infographic

Bilingual is Better on Al Punto with Jorge Ramos

Ana Flores — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 21:16:14 +0000

We just got word that the interview we did with Jorge Ramos for Al Punto about our book Bilingual is Better will be airing mañana! Al Punto is Univision‘s Sunday morning show and it airs at 10 a.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

The interview was taped about two months ago when we went to Miami for the press tour and I had just been wondering when it would air when we got notice that it was happening this Sunday. We can’t wait to see it and we hope you’ll make the time to check it out too!

We loved that Jorge Ramos — whom I worked with while I was a news producer at Univision eight years ago — could identify with the topic of raising bilingual children as he shared his own struggles with his teenage son. Both Ana and I are very happy that the topic of bilingualism will be showcased at the national level thanks to Al Punto. We need to make more people aware of the benefits of being bilingual and why all kids should be given the opportunity to grow up with two or more languages.

UPDATE:

Jorge Ramos is quoted saying: “‘Bilingual is Better,’ de verdad es un buen libro.”

Watch the full interview here:

Win a Copy of Our Book ‘Bilingual is Better’!

Ana Flores — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:00:10 +0000

We’re thrilled and honored that our friends at Nestlé El Mejor Nido have offered to give away a copy of our book “Bilingual is Better” to two winners. Each prize pack will include one copy of “Bilingual is Better,” plus the two “Poppy” bilingual books offered on El Mejor Nido.

In order to participate you should Like Nestlé El Mejor Nido on Facebook and follow their instructions to tweet why you think bilingualism is better using the hashtag #BilingualisBetter between tomorrow and Wednesday at 11:59 PM PST. Here are the official rules (Winner Chosen at Random): https://twitter.com/ElMejorNido

We also invite you to check out the two Spanish-language articles we’ve shared on the El Mejor Nido website:

Los mitos más comunes sobre los hijos bilingües

De regreso a clase: Asegúrate que tus hijos no pierdan el español

And, of course, we love all the recipes featured on the site, like these pumpkin empanadas – yum!

¡Suerte!

Why I’m Not Voting Today

Ana Flores — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:33:27 +0000

As millions of Americans go out and vote for the next president of the United States today, and the excitement associated with the empowerment brought about by casting a ballot is palpable in the air, I’m left wondering, once again, if the time has come to change my attitude regarding my immigration status. So I figured this would be a great opportunity to share an excerpt from our book Bilingual is Better. This is from chapter 5, ”Between Two Worlds: Identity vs. Assimilation”.

***

I’m not a U.S. citizen. I’m the only one in my family who isn’t.

My husband was born in Puerto Rico—a colony of the United States—and both our children were born in Colorado. So they’re all American by birth. My older sister was born here when my father was a student in Florida. Although they went back to Peru when she was not even one, when we came back to the States many years later, my parents obtained their legal permanent residency through her. Once they were residents, they petitioned for my little brother and I. After spending the five years as legal permanent residents required by law, they all became naturalized citizens. I, on the other hand, opted against it.

The reasons behind that decision have been the source of many an argument between my husband and I and — when he was alive —between my father and I. It’s not really a subject I like to discuss — especially during these contentious political times full of anti-immigrant backlash, but I figured that sharing my personal struggle with this subject could resonate with other people out there who feel the same way.

***

It’s not that I have anything at all against my adopted country. My children wouldn’t have been born here if that were the case. It’s just something that is really hard to ex-plain, but I will try — even though I’ll probably get lynched in the process. I like the United States, but I love Peru. I’ll stand up as a sign of respect when someone recites the pledge of allegiance or sings the national anthem, but I won’t follow their lead. The only anthem I know by heart and can sing at a moment’s notice is the Peruvian one. I think the Stars and Stripes is beautiful, but I only get butterflies in my stomach when I see the red, white and red flag of my birth country. I could go on and on, but I think this will have to suffice.

Even so, three things have made me analyze my decision not to become a U.S. citizen a bit deeper lately.

The first one has to do with the fact that at thirty-nine years old, I have never voted, which is very weird because I’ve always been interested in politics and I am, after all, a journalist. Yet, I’ve never partaken in what I consider one of the most vital parts of belonging to a democracy. I’ve never voted not because I didn’t want to, but because I can’t — although my husband would beg to differ. Let’s see, if we were to get technical, I could actually vote — in Peruvian elections, that is. Yet even though I’ve covered Peru’s elections a couple of times as a journalist, the reality is that I have absolutely no connection to my home country’s politics.

My husband, however, disagrees about me not being able to vote because I could’ve become an American citizen fourteen years ago —meaning I’ve missed almost four presidential elections and twice as many at the state and city level.

I must admit I was jealous of my husband when he voted for Obama in 2008. There was so much presidential buzz going on back then. It was an exciting time for sure! Plus, he actually got to meet Obama during a one-on-one interview he taped for Univision and we both got to cover the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

A few days prior to a recent (local) election, my husband told me he was never going to vote again. “It’s all the same,” he lamented. “They’re all the same.” He, like many others who voted for Obama, was disillusioned. He felt too many promises were broken. “It’s hard fixing something that’s so broken,” I told him. But he didn’t care. Then he covered an event in which a local Latina activist talked about the power of just one vote and he came back a changed man.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” he confessed. “If we all think the way I was thinking, then nothing will ever change.” After he voted, he came home feeling pretty empowered. I hate not knowing what that feels like.

{Photo by whiteafrican}

Watch: “Bilingual is Better” Book Launch Party {Video}

Ana Flores — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Seems hard to believe that it’s been less than three weeks since we celebrated in Miami the launch of our book “Bilingual is Better.”

We finally got the video to share with all of you just how amazing it was to be surrounded with so many friends, bloggers, celebrities and press that were there to support us, the book and, well…you! Yes, you because you are the one making this a movement, a true and bonifide revolutionof parents who are convinced that bilingual definitely is better and that all kids should be given the option.

We need to thank once more Huggies and Fisher-Price for their support and for believing in what we do. Their contributions to making this party a huge success and unforgettable fun are invaluable.

A huge thanks also goes out to Cool-de-Sac, the awesome space in Miami where we had our party, for letting us take over for the day. If you live anywhere close to their locations in Miami and/or Mexico, you must take your kids there!

And now, enjoy the show!

Bilingual is Better & We Want Everyone to Know It

Ana Flores — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:01:00 +0000

It’s been almost two weeks since Bilingual is Better was released and so much has happened since then. For starters, we spent a whole week in Miami in a packed press tour and hosting an amazing book launch party. While some of the interviews we did were live — including those for CNN en Español — some of them aired last week and we’re still waiting for dates on the others, including the one we did with renowned Hispanic journalist Jorge Ramos for Al Punto.

I honestly can’t wait for that one. As some of you know, I worked as a news producer in Univision for almost five years and going there two weeks ago to be interviewed about the book was like going back home. Not to mention that Jorge made Ana and I feel at ease as soon as we sat with him and confessed he too struggled to raise his teenage son bilingual.

But I don’t really want this post to be about all the different interviews, stories and press appearances we’ve taken part in since the launch of our book. It’s not that I don’t deem them important, but you can find all that info in our Bilingual is Better website or on our Facebook Page. What I would like to do is share with you the overwhelming — and many times surprising — positive response we’ve gotten not only from the press, but also from those parents who’ve already read the book and have told us they were able to see themselves, their children and their specific situation in its pages.

There’s nothing more rewarding than hearing a parent say that they identified with what we wrote and that they found the information in the book useful. But more than anything, we’ve been amazed at how many parents and non-parents alike already know and believe that being bilingual truly is better. I mean, I guess we’ve known for a while — thanks to our SpanglishBaby community — that many parents are raising bilingual children, but it’s awesome to hear that even those who might not yet be a part of our community are interested in the topic and believe its of utmost importance.

The genuine interest and acceptance of the topic of our book is proving to us that there truly is a new bilingual parenting revolution and we couldn’t be happier!

Click here to watch the story Primer Impacto aired featuring Bilingual is Better: ¿Cómo se logra una educación totalmente bilingüe?

10 Tips to Successfully Raise a Bilingual Child

Ana Flores — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:14:10 +0000

Last week during our media tour in Miami for our book Bilingual is Better, Roxana and I had to answer lots of questions regarding raising bilingual kids. One of the top questions we got was what are the best tips to successfully raise a bilingual child. So, I decided to share those tips over at my Babble Voices blog this week.

Here’s a list of the 10 tips and you can click over to Babble for more detailed information on each.

1. Have the whole family on board

2. Choose a method/develop a plan and stick to it

3. It takes a village to raise a bilingual child

4. The earlier you start, the better

5. Talk, talk, talk!

6. Play, play, play!

7. Travel abroad

8. Playgroups for you and your baby

9. Find a dual language immersion program

10. Read, and then read some more

Oh, and yes, all of this and more is in our book. Do you have it yet?

{Photo by USACE on Flickr}

More of Our Book Launch Party with Huggies®

Ana Flores — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:32:34 +0000

As I shared with all of you yesterday, Ana and I spent all of last week in Miami for our Bilingual is Better press tour, as well as for our super fun book launch party at Cool de Sac. We had an incredible turnout, including several celebrities and tons of little kids who seemed to be having a blast.

In all honesty, it was a bit hard to see all those kids there having so much fun and enjoying la fiesta knowing that our own kids were so far away back home in Denver and Los Angeles. I would’ve loved for Santiago, Vanessa and Camila to be there with us, but it was simply impossible now that they’re all back to school.

The party was a huge succes thanks to our sponsors and today I’d like to share with you some highlights of Huggies® presence at our book launch celebration. We were honored to have two of Huggies® main spokespersons, Jeannette Torres-Alvarez and Poncho de Anda, as guests and in the slideshow below you’ll be able to see a few pictures of them enjoying our fiesta.

But first, let me tell you about the two Huggies® campaigns they were promoting. Early childhood expert and proud mom of two bilingual kids, Torres-Alvarez took the time to explain the features of Huggies® new Facebook app Respuestas de Mamá.

As spokesperson for Pon Huggies® a Prueba, TV personality and father of two, Poncho de Anda shared how the diaper makers want dads to put their products to the test and then tell them all about it.

Thanks to Huggies® for believing in Bilingual is Better and for making our book launch party an incredible event for all!

[Show as slideshow]

Bilingual is Better Launch Fiesta with Fisher-Price

Ana Flores — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:01:29 +0000

I can’t believe our first press tour is done and our Bilingual is Better launch party is over! Ana and I had such a packed schedule last week that it all felt a bit like a blur… until Thursday when the day of the fiesta arrived and we were beyond excited to be able to share our book with so many wonderful people, including a few celebrities and a lot of chiquititos! As well as a ton of media!

The party, beautifully put together by Zikei Events, had two major sponsors and today we’re bringing you highlights from one of them: Fisher-Price. But first let me start by telling you that the venue for the party was, simply put, perfecto! I’m sure those of you who live in South Florida have heard of Cool de Sac because I know that, as a mom of two little ones, if I had something similar near me, I would have a lifetime membership.

If you’ve never been, I think I should just let the photos explain what this awesome space is all about. Suffice it to say that there was not one kid in that place who wasn’t having a blast — especially with the awesome bilingual toys brought by Fisher-Price, which included those from their Laugh & Learn line, as well as the Potty Baby Dora and the Fantastic Gymnastics Dora.

The party was a huge success! We loved seeing so much support from so many people we love and meeting a bunch of news ones who, like us, believe that Bilingual is Better!

We have tons of photos from the event, but we figured the best way for all of you to enjoy them would be with a slideshow. So click away and enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]