One of the best ways to motivate kids’ Spanish speaking is to find a way to tie the language to their interests. My sons love soccer. My husband grew up playing soccer and loves to watch the games, which is how my sons became interested in the sport. My boys love it, whether it is watching the game, kicking around a ball, or actually playing.

Aside from being probably the most popular sport in the Spanish speaking world, there is also a significant Spanish speaking fan base for the sport here in the United States. We are fortunate to live close enough to the stadium where Major League Soccer games are played. When we attend LA Galaxy games, the announcements over the loud speakers are in both Spanish and English, the fans are a diverse mix with a lot of Spanish speakers in attendance, and of course there are the Hispanic players. My sons can’t help but hear and speak Spanish. Soccer has helped further their language skills, and enabled my sons to see the relevance of knowing another language.

It is not just the game that intrigues my boys, but the music and videos that celebrate soccer too. They really enjoy listening to music that is about soccer, and they sing along with the tunes. Here are some of their favorite songs and videos that have soccer as a theme:

Costa Rican singer Tapon’s song and video “Hasta La Muerte”

Shakira’s “Waka Waka” (in Spanish of course) which was the official song of the World Cup in 2010

Ricky Martin’s “La Copa de la Vida” which was the official song of the World Cup in 1998.

Music always makes learning fun, and when it is about a topic that interests my kids, even better.

Whenever we take a soccer ball to the park or the beach, we always have other young kids join in the game. I am happy that the game attracts a diverse mix of kids to play. We almost always meet other bilingual children too, which results in the use Spanish during their play.

While soccer is a game that my boys love, it also supports their bilingualism. Fostering my children’s interest in their favorite sport has benefited their language skills, and yet it has also been fun for them to play, watch games, and even sing about soccer. Tapping into our kids’ interests and finding ways to tie those to Spanish is one of the best ways for them to learn.

{Photo via: USAG-Humphreys}

My 7-year-old daughter sat at the base of the slide, letting the other kids run by, and watching as they laughed and played. Some older boys got a little too close and she asked them to be careful with their ball: “Please- you’ll scare her…. she’s protecting her babies.” Vivi took her self-appointed position of bodyguard seriously; she wasn’t going to let anyone near the mother duck, who had unfortunately chosen the base of the stairs to lay her eggs. While Vivi participates in the normal sibling and friend squabbles, one of my favorite qualities is her authentic empathy towards others.

I recently read an interesting article from UC Berkley that asked the question “Can empathy reduce racism?” The author discussed a recent study that suggests that the ability to put ourselves in another’s shoes allows us to reduce unconscious biases, and actually enhances the interactions we have with people who look different from us. We are living in an interconnected world, where our children will work and interact with people from a multitude of cultures. If parents want to raise children who are accepting of all ethnicities — and if empathy helps to eliminate racism — how can families teach this compassion to their children as they grow up?

Empathy is the awareness that another person (or any living thing) is suffering. Empathetic children understand the feelings of others and wish to relieve their pain and better their experience. It’s not just that we feel sorry for someone; it’s moving beyond sadness or pity, and aspiring to change it. One way that kids learn empathy is when they learn about other cultures and differing perspectives. Being able to truly understand another person’s point of view shows us that we all have similarities on some level.

How else can parents teach or model empathy? Despite being inherently compassionate, children benefit from witnessing kindness towards others, respect for other cultures and races, and examples of how to stand up for what’s right in the face of discrimination. By modeling compassion and empathy towards our partners, children, friends, and even strangers, we demonstrate how to put feelings into action that helps the person suffering and alleviates their situation. Our children observe how we react empathetically when we assist someone who just dropped their groceries, return a phone left behind, stop a joke based on stereotypes, bring dinner to a new mom, or stick up for kids who are getting picked on.

Another wonderful way to teach kindness by example is by volunteering together as a familia. On a trip to Acapulco, we spent a day at a local children’s home to play with the kids, set up a basketball hoop and help them make Christmas cards. On every visit to Mexico we involve our kids in packing donations for orphanages and schools: what toys would the toddlers enjoy? What school supplies do the kindergarteners need? We try to teach our kids to put themselves in the shoes of others and relate to them as peers.

This year, we visited a couple of local foster homes for refugee children who are unaccompanied minors. Before arriving, I prepared my kids. Their eyes grew serious as I explained that we would be making a craft and sharing a snack with kids who are here without their families. They vowed to help the kids have a fun afternoon — not because they would be rewarded or punished, but because they understood that this was the generous and kind thing to do. Although shy at first, everyone warmed up quickly. Ricky’s silly antics elicited laughter, Vivi’s genuine compliments about the girls’ hairstyles drew shy smiles, Maya respectfully listened to the kids talk, and Tonito and his new friend from the DR Congo found common ground in their interest in cars.

We left the group home feeling inspired and a bit euphoric. As we’ve volunteered more, I’ve seen my children’s empathy begin to develop. They now initiate random acts of kindness, and are a bit more tolerant on the playground and with each other. One day last spring my son came running home from school: “There’s a new boy at school, and he doesn’t know anybody! We have to invite him over so that he can meet some friends!” Though we can’t measure empathy in standardized tests, experiences like these tell us we’re on the right path.

{Photos courtesy of Becky Morales}

How is this for the perfect summer party dessert?  Take advantage of the peak of strawberry season and serve this classic at your next birthday party, baby shower or family barbecue.  The preparation is so simple — it can be turned into a cooking activity among your guests and have them assemble their own.

“Breakfast party,” you say?  Replace the angel food cake loaf with homemade mini-pancakes and serve with maple syrup!

These charming shortcake sticks are popular with the kids and are great conversation starters. A beautiful and distinctive way to serve dessert and sweeten up your summer with just a few ingredients.

Ingredients

1 angel food cake loaf, sliced into 1” cubes (use a serrated knife for easy cutting)

3 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and cut in halves.

Cool Whip Whipped Topping

8-10 wooden skewers, with pointy sides cut off

To assemble skewers:

Alternate shortcake cubes and strawberry halves by piercing on each skewer.

To serve:

Place assembled skewers on a platter and let guests dollop the whipped topping over skewers.  Whipped topping can also be served on the side for dipping.

Serves 8-10

This is something I never talked about with my mother, who is light-skinned, like me. But it’s something that I realized matters when a woman told my dark-skinned sister to “go back to your country” when my niece started talking during an outdoor movie. I had never been the target of such blatant and public racism. My sister had. The color of our skin shapes the way others perceive us and the way they treat us, whether as alien or familiar.

I haven’t talked about skin color with my girls, except in passing as we talk about our friends and pictures in books. We have not begun to discuss how color is judged by others. At this young age, it remains just one more physical detail, like hair texture or eye color which can vary, but doesn’t really matter. I know that we will have this talk, or many talks about this, because one of the lovely differences between my two girls is the color of their skin. Marisol’s skin in the summer becomes a rich caramel color. Lucia’s skin is creamy white and rosy. I think both of them are gorgeous, of course, but I have started to wonder how their skin color might affect them in school and beyond.

How might their color affect their sense of identity and power in different environments? They are growing up with a very typical Los Angeles multiracial group of friends and family, but if the world they enter as teens and adults resembles the world today, they will be minorities at their universities and in many of their potential professional workplaces. Will they, as even this light-skinned Latina did, encounter racism in the classroom? This is one of those parenting questions that I don’t know how to answer. Each question just leads to more questions…

Have you discussed skin color with your children? What do you tell them? What do they already know? Have they experienced racism? How did you help them process it? Please share your wisdom.

{Photo via mmolinari}

I read with great interest the Wall Street Journal article featured in Spanglishbaby’s Week in Links regarding parents who move to China so that their children can learn and improve their language abilities. Learning another language and experiencing another culture can be a great experience for anyone, and it is especially valuable for children who tend to have an advantage at second language acquisition.

The question that I was left with after reading the article was: Why Chinese? None of the parents featured in the article actually spoke the language themselves, but rather, Chinese was viewed as the desirable language to learn because of China’s rising global influence. The interest in learning Chinese seemed to be linked, at least in some part, with giving kids a competitive edge in the job market of the future.

This article made me re-examine my own motives for teaching my children Spanish. While like any parent I want to give my children skills that will be beneficial to them in the future, I want to be sure that my motivations for teaching my kids Spanish involved more than financial gain and career success. Fortunately, Roxana had interviewed me for the book she co-wrote with Ana, Bilingual is Better on this very topic back in February. It was interesting to reflect back on my answers after having read the Wall Street Journal Article. I liked seeing that there really are a lot of factors that have influenced my decision to raise bilingual children.

To begin with, unlike the parents featured in the article, I do speak the language that I want my children to learn. I have always loved learning languages, and it only seemed natural to pass on my skills to my children. Having learned my languages later in life, it was a real challenge for me to become truly fluent. I didn’t want my children to struggle the way I did when they could avoid this difficult language learning process by acquiring the language when they were young. From a neuroscience prospective young children have superior language learning abilities.*

My children and I also have a lot of fun speaking Spanish together, reading and playing with the other children in our Spanish playgroup. It has been a worthwhile endeavor to see how easily my kids can use their different languages and they truly seem to enjoy speaking with mami in Spanish, papi in German, and grandma in English.

Like the parents in the article, I am committed to raising my children to speak another language since there are a variety of cognitive benefits associated with bilingualism. Even more importantly, speaking other languages is essential for gaining a deeper understanding of other countries, peoples, and cultures. I feel that speaking another language will increase my children’s opportunities to know and interact with a variety of different people and provide them with the linguistic skills and cultural understanding to more fully participate in our local community and in our increasingly international society. When we travel to Spanish speaking countries, my children easily make friends and are able to participate in the games of the local children. It is wonderful to see them get to know people and play with children that they would not have had the chance to bond with if they had been monolingual.

My husband and I have always loved traveling and learning languages, and it has been fun sharing our interests and adventures with our own children. They seem to be enjoying the experience as well. It is easy to answer the question: Why Spanish? By teaching my children Spanish I am giving them the gift of another language that will help them in both their personal and career endeavors. I am also giving them the opportunity to get to know other peoples, countries and cultures, and hopefully I am giving them the chance to explore language and just have fun with it.

Why do you teach your children Spanish?

*From Welcome to Your Child’s Brain by Sandra Aamodt, PhD and Sam Wang, PhD.

{Photo by  Ha-Wee}

As a Spanglish baby myself, exposing my 2 year old daughter to the measure of Spanish necessary to develop a respectable level of fluency has been daunting. As her primary caregiver, and sole Spanish speaker in our home, my own weakness in fluency is ever present. But as I continue to expose, communicate and deposit our second language into my mini Latina, an entirely new question has been posed: can she even be considered a Latina?

My Alina is a 2 year old unlike most 2 year olds you might know. With sass and keen awareness uncommon for such a pint sized person, she artfully conveys her intended message to those willing to absorb it. I take pride in cultivating my free thinker. But when she approached and seemingly conquered issues of race, identity and with one flailing swoop ousted me as “different,” my urge to restrict this impending mindset took hold.

As a product of a loving union between me, a full blooded Cubana, and my African American husband, Alina is biracial. Bicultural, if you prefer. Or, according to my 2 year old, she is simply black like Daddy. And Mommy? She’s “different.” While I was prepared to one day discuss issues of racial identity with our beautiful daughter (albeit not this young), I had never considered that the questionable identity would be my own. And, I lament, my daughter’s classification that so casually stripped our sameness caused a stir in my heart. What mother wants to be different from their children, their daughter? Maybe because I am in an interracial marriage, with biracial children, it may surprise you to know: not this one. I don’t want to be different from my kids. And it just never occurred to me that I was.

What finally did occur to me is this: maybe Alina isn’t Latina just because her mom is Latina. In its purposed core, my dedication to bilingualism has always been somewhat self-serving. As Latinos, our language unifies us throughout a spectrum of cultures, skin colors and histories. I wanted Alina to speak Spanish so that, no matter what the world said, she could take ownership of her Latina, the part of her which is me. Bilingualism is wonderful for so many reasons, but my chore of exposure is motivated by the retention of the me in her, the different in her.

After some critical thinking and the foresight granted to those who allow time to bestow it, I realized that my heart’s pressing question to be or not to be Latina is not one centered on Alina’s identity. It rested heavily on my own.

As a Spanglish baby, all grown up, I have openly wondered if I am Latina enough to be considered Latina; if my lack luster command of our language restricts the ownership of my blood that I am privy to. And while I am not quite certain the answer of that yet, what remains a feverish passion is raising a daughter who one day can. Sure, at 2 years young, Alina is nowhere near ready to define her personal identity. But as the catalyst of awareness to the many struggles of identity that exist within me, Alina’s enjoyment and yearning to speak Spanish has reminded me that “different” can be Latina too.

So, from one different Latina to the next, we wish all our hermanas on their quest of Latina-hood a very joyous journey to self awareness. Different is beautiful. Alina and I are each uniquely different Latinas. And, as I remind my beautiful little girl, in our differences there lies so much of the same.

Every time I come to Chile I am reminded of how lucky and priveldged I am to be able to travel and actually have a relationship with my family, that culturally I am well connected and most importantly that I speak the language, without that, I would be lost. I know that many who have come to the US have not been able to visit their country and if they have, maybe it’s once every few years. Growing up, I had no idea just how lucky I was to be able to travel to Chile every two years and spend our Christmases or summer vacations here (despite it being winter). My parents never intended on staying in the US, my father had been offered a job opportunity, but we never had plans to settle there. However, things happen, things change and after a few years in Chile we were back in the US and my mother made every effort to keep our Chilean identity no matter what — starting with the language.

There are so many things you don’t appreciate as a child. I despised when my mother spoke to me in Spanish in public, but she never once spoke to me in English. Not once. In our home we only spoke Spanish and it is still like that to this day. And because we traveled so often we were never completely disconnected from Chile. I often get asked, do you feel more American or Chilean? The truth is it’s 50/50 because of my connection and experiences here. I also get questioned about my Chilean “authenticity” because I don’t have an accent, but it’s my litte badge of honor and being fully bilingual is my secret weapon.

Now I’m in Chile again, this time it’s been three years since my last trip. My son is 3 years old and everyone in my family is in complete and total awe that this little American boy speaks perfect Spanish despite coming from a home where I am the only one who speaks to him in Spanish and my husband speaks to him in English. To be honest, I am beyond proud, I am glowing. I got emotional when I heard my son and my Opa (my abuelo) having a conversation in Spanish. But I know this is a pivotal moment, I am literally sitting on the bilingual fence here. I am living in a time where the language could easily be lost if I don’t work at it and make a concentrated effort to educate my son bilingual. I could just give up and speak to him in English, but I don’t. Good thing is, it is not an effort for me, it comes naturally and he senses that.

Having come to US at a later age increased my chances of keeping the language, but it decreased when I married a non-native speaker and we don’t live in a Spanish speaking country (you could argue this). I do think the Spanish language in the US will be lost if it’s not for persistance from us parents. Yes, it is a lot of work to raise a bilingual child. It takes patience, perseverance and you also have to consider the child’s learning style and capabilities. My brother was raised the same way I was, spent the same amount of time in Chile but has a more difficult time reading and writing. It just didn’t come easy for him. So when I hear Matías translate for my husband or say that he wants to teach Oma, (my abuelita) English, I realize he has a gift, he has an ability and one that needs to be nurtured and managed. This is the only way the Spanish language will continue to thrive and strengthen within this new generation of speakers.

How difficult has it been for you to raise bilingual children?

{Image courtesy María José Ovalle}

We all have such clear ideas about how we’ll raise our children, even before they’re born. Breast vs. bottle. Co-sleeping vs. crying it out. Homemade baby food. Screen time. And though in some areas I was able to stick to my guns, I was humbled by the fact that many things really didn’t work out the way I’d planned at all.

The same was true when it came to raising my children with two languages. I knew we’d probably use the one-parent, one-language method at home. And though I didn’t go so far as to research it when my boys were born, we live in a major metropolitan area. I knew there were Spanish immersion schools around, and I just figured I’d look into them when the time came.

Then came the early autism diagnoses for both of my boys, who fortunately thrived in a wonderful, full-time special education preschool—Primo was there for two years, Secondo for three. I trusted the teachers and staff there completely, and the idea of leaving the school and venturing into an LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) setting in a regular public school absolutely terrified me. When the time came to think about transitioning to kindergarten a year ago, it was a Very Big Deal.

And when that time came, one year ago, I thought again about looking into our local Spanish immersion schools, but it turned out our (monolingual) home school had an excellent reputation when it came to special education. And my priorities were completely shaken up, and I knew that there was absolutely no contest. I want my children to be bilingual, to be sure. But good special education services are crucial. Those services have made a world of difference in their lives, have helped them make such unbelievable progress early on, when it is so important.

I didn’t even look into the Spanish immersion schools.

This week, my boys will be done with kindergarten. Despite some significant challenges early on and a few adjustments, they have both done beautifully. At their last IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting a couple of months ago, special education services for both of them were scaled back significantlly, and it was a move we all agreed with. I could not be happier with how well they’ve done in school, and though they face plenty of social challenges, they are in a good place, with good people and great support.

Where does this leave them when it comes to their Spanish? I am happy to say that even after a year in an all-English school (plus aftercare), they still easily default to speaking to me in Spanish. The day may come when they will rebel, but it hasn’t happened yet. I can tell that the gaps in their vocabulary in Spanish — about the solar system, the life cycle of a plant — are becoming more pronounced, due to all the English they get at school, but they constantly ask me how to say things in Spanish and we either look things up in the dictionary or find a book on the subject in Spanish. They go to a community Spanish school on Saturdays, and I teared up at the acto de clausura as they danced onstage to El condor pasa, a little lost in the choreography but willing to be led by the more tuned-in little girls in their class.

We received a survey from the school to fill out and return the other day. Primo, who leaves nothing unread, found it on the table. “What language is spoken in the home?” he read. Then he turned to me. Mama, ¡en casa hablamos inglés Y español! he proclaimed gleefully.

Proudly, I would say.

{Photo via: US Department of Education}

I really admire my mother-in-law for raising two bilingual children. Her task was especially challenging since she did so in an era when it was not popular to use a language other than English. In fact, she was actually told to stop speaking to her sons in German, her native language. Teachers, and even doctors, said that it would confuse them in school, but she knew better and continued to speak to her sons in German. Her persistence is why my husband and his brother are bilingual adults. Now my husband is able to pass that skill on to the next generation by teaching our children German.

My mother-in-law and I do disagree on one point though. I have always spoken to my sons exclusively in Spanish. It seems only natural to me, but my mother-in-law feels that it is rude for me to use Spanish when there are others around who do not understand. When my husband and his brother were growing up, she would use German with them at home, but English if they were around people who did not speak German.

I have to admit, her opinion did make me question my way of doing things, especially since I value her opinion as both my mother-in-law and a mother who has successfully raised bilingual and bicultural children. The problem is, I don’t want to jeopardize my children’s bilingual abilities by switching languages when speaking to them. Yet my mother-in-law did switch languages with her children, but still had success. I began to ponder what language to use with my children when others who do not speak Spanish are around. It is a dilemma to which I still have not found the perfect solution.

When my boys were just babies, it was easy. I would speak only Spanish to them, and I didn’t really think about it too much because it was a one sided conversation anyway. Now that the boys and I have real conversations, I am becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with my language choice. It is not when I am out in public or just at the store, but rather when I am spending time with monolingual family and friends. I feel like I am being rude, but at the same time, I don’t want to compromise their bilingualism.

In order to find a happy medium between the two languages, I have started to use new strategies to include everyone in the conversation. Having recently moved to a new neighborhood, I have started by explaining the languages used in our family to the new neighbors. Most people seem to be very positive and encouraging of our linguistic endeavors and have even expressed a desire for their own children to learn some Spanish. I also have started to translate what I say to the boys into English so that others will understand what I have said to them. It is an effort on my part, but I feel that it is worth the effort to maintain Spanish with my children while attempting to include other Spanish and non-Spanish speakers.

Raising bilingual children does have its challenges, but the rewards are well worth the work. I love that my children can easily speak different languages, and that they are acquiring a more international view of the world. I believe that there is a way to keep the Spanish going no matter the company that we are with, but I would love other ideas and strategies used by parents raising bilingual children.

What languages do you use with your children when in the company of people who do not speak Spanish?  How do you deal with this situation?

{Image via zherun}

I love gazing at my two babies. I can sit idle for a long time watching Alina, my two year old, dance and sing or put a puzzle together. Her 8 week old brother’s sight is starting to focus, and I gawk as he processes the world for the first time. Since they are young, I am never further than my eye sight.

Whether a new parent or a seasoned pro, every mom knows how rewarding it is to watch your children grow. We know that keeping them safe takes a watchful eye, too. But for a worry wart like me, leaving them in their own rooms to fall asleep has always been a source of stress. Not anymore!

Graco True Focus Digital Video Monitor, available exclusively at Walmart.com, gives you eyes and ears behind closed doors, allowing you to give your child independence while keeping them safe. With its digital technology and unsurpassed performance for clarity and privacy {using a 2.4 GHz frequency}, your sweet bebe’s face is never far from your sight. Also, a high resolution 2.4inch color video screen allows for superior viewing. And since kids never stay in one place for long, the Graco True Focus Digital Video Monitor has real-time zoom, providing a clear and up-close view. An added plus that I’ve really enjoyed!

The monitor totes other parent-friendly features, such as vibration notification technology, which is exclusively Graco, a clock on the parent unit for quick reference and battery back-up on the child unit for added peace of mind. The display clock has been especially useful during midnight wake up calls; good thinking, Graco!

Although our littlest babe’s bassinet is still in our room, I’ve been able to use our Graco True Focus monitor in Alina’s room to watch over her independent play and ensure she stays in bed throughout the night. Becoming a new mom of two hasn’t meant a lack of safety since owning this video monitor. I’ve always got an eye on both of these kids now! And losing the stress of not knowing what goes on behind closed doors is great for worry wart parents like me, too.

The Giveaway

We’re giving away one Graco True Focus™ Digital Video Monitor to one lucky winner.

To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment telling us about the little one you need to keep a watchful eye on.

That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway. If you want to up your chances at winning, then this is how you can get additional entries (only after you’ve completed the step above):

**Please leave a separate comment for each so we can count them and avoid mistakes.

1. Subscribe to receive blog updates and subscriber-only content via email and leave us an extra comment letting us know you did so or that you’re already a subscriber. Make sure to leave the comment using the same email you subscribed with.

2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway including a link to the post http://bit.ly/L3k4ta  and @SpanglishBaby. Copy the link to the tweet in an additional comment on the giveaway’s post.

Click to Tweet Ex: Visit @SpanglishBaby to win a @GracoBaby True Focus Digital Video Monitor http://bit.ly/L3k4ta

3. Like SpanglishBaby on Facebook and join a thriving community of parents.

This giveaway ends Thursday, June 21 at 11:59 p.m. EST and is open to everyone with a U.S. mailing address over 18 years of age. Check out the Giveaway Rules.

Disclosure: We received one product for review. As always, all opinions are our own.