January is almost done, completely ushering in 2013. I love this time of year because it serves as a natural point of review and reflection. Sure, you can make goals and resolutions anytime of year. In fact, I encourage anyone to mediate on what is most important in their life, setting actionable steps to achieve those goals. But, January is just that time of year that gives everyone a chance. No excuses necessary.

My identity continues to change and grow, especially as a parent of an ever-evolving toddler who has officially embarked on her path of individualism. Alina turned 3 years old this month and I am so pleased with her development. She really is such a cool kid. But, as a parent aspiring for bilingual success, I have definitely failed her. While her vocabulary and articulation in English rivals that of children much older, her abilities in Spanish are those of a one year old. While she can readily identify numbers and common place household items in Spanish, she virtually has no communicative skills.

I know this has a lot to do with my own bilingualism as my abilities vary greatly depending on my surroundings. Knowing that my language skills vastly improve when I am in an environment of bilingualism, my bilingual New Year’s resolution for 2013 is to create an environment in which both me and my children’s Spanish language skills can improve. Here are some strategies I plan to implement in our lives to achieve success in this coming year:

Spend more time with my Spanish speaking friends — being that my Latino family lives in another state, weeks can go by without us ever having dialogue in Spanish. That just isn’t acceptable. To combat that in a natural way, I plan to reach out to a close friend here in Vegas whose family are native speakers. We all have busy lives, but since she loves my kids, my friend is excited to spend more time with us in pursuit of this goal.

Hire Help — We are a one income household, so this will be a challenge, but I am committed to hiring a tutor, nanny or anyone else willing to come into our home and engage with us in Spanish in an academic, curriculum format. Resources are sparse in my community, so I will have to get creative.

Enroll in Lango Las Vegas — the one resource I have found in my community happens to be an engaging, child focused langue immersion program. And they are starting toddler aged classes just a few miles from my home in the coming months! Again, this will be a financial investment, but one I prefer making over other extracurricular activities.

It won’t be easy creating a Spanish speaking community for me, since family is not local and friendships are not yet created. But, with these three focuses in place, I hope to improve my toddler’s ability to engage and communicate in Spanish.

How do you create a bilingual community?

{Image courtesy of Vanessa Bell}

Mami, hoy es January?

That’s my 5-year-old asking from the back seat.

I’m thrilled — finally the kids are getting the hang of time — the difference between seconds, minutes, days and months. But his question is also a harsh reminder.

He is learning most of these new concepts in school.

In school, they teach purely in English.

And now the corollary — my husband and I, their only Spanish teachers, will never be able to keep up.

We had recently given ourselves some real pats on the back. Congrats to us! Our twins are 5 and are still speaking Spanish! We “made it.” And yet, the more time goes by, the more I realize the quest to raise bilingual kids never, ever (ever, ever, you get the point) ends.

They grow, they learn — and they need to do both in two languages. Somehow, somewhere, between trying to raise well-mannered, confident, curious beings, between instilling a work ethic, love of books and a sense of spirituality and empathy — we’re talking basics here people, not Tiger Mom stuff — we still have to find time to ensure that their Spanish progresses.

I didn’t actually expect to reach this point now. About a month ago, I had decided that since the kids’ language skills were on solid footing, I’d dedicate 2013 to go a step further to teach them more about their Hispanic heritage. Over Christmas, I wrote up a whole plan, a timeline, links to all the books and projects we were going to tackle so that they could learn more  about la madre patria, and Latin America and the Caribbean in general.  But then came enero, and the questions from the back seat.

I am tired.

Last year, I wrote a post on six things I wish I’d known before I started raising bilingual kids.

I’ll add another: I wish I’d known this process was life long.

I wouldn’t have changed course, but I would have adjusted my expectations.

{Photo by popofatticus}

My son is only 17 months and I find myself already thinking of preschool applications! Yes it is true, if I want Enzo to start next year, I have to apply now.  I cannot believe I have to start thinking about what school I would like him to attend next year. I mean, I feel like I am just discovering what kind of kid he is becoming!

As I have started this process, I have so many thoughts about sending him to school. The good points are that, he is going to have some structure to his day and he is going to be socializing with other children his age. Another advantage is that his Abuela, who babysits him, would get a break.  But I do have doubts about sending him to school at 2 years old. (He would be 2.5 when he starts.)My questions are: Is he too young? Is he going to get sick all the time? Is the day too long? The most important question is “will putting my son in school at 2 instead of 3 hurt his Spanish language skills?” I wonder, wouldn’t he be better off developing a more solid base in Spanish until he was 3.5, and then be exposed to English in preschool? Right now, I can’t answer this question. First of all, because I cannot anticipate what his Spanish language skills will be a year from now and second, because I just do not know how he will react to the introduction of English in a school setting.  In my perfect world, I would put him in a dual language preschool program, but I have yet to find one of those in my area for young children.

My son currently hears Spanish and French at home. He hears English on TV and in a weekly sports or music class, so exposure to English is limited. Exposure to French is limited as well, since his Papa is the only one who really speaks to him in French on a daily basis, whereas Abuela, babysitter and mama speak in Spanish. Enzo also says a lot more words in Spanish than in French (and he has learned some words in English, like “POP” when he is watching the Fresh Beat Band!) If I send Enzo to school at 2.5, am I just going to confuse him too early? Is waiting that extra year worth it?

When I went to Pre-K I was 4 and I did not speak any English, but I was a lorita in Spanish. I really do not remember having a traumatic experience in the classroom, where I did not know how to go to the bathroom, or did not understand what I needed to do… I might have had those experiences but, thankfully, they were not memorable enough to have scarred me for life! So, if you had asked me about this issue months ago, I would have just said, he will go and figure it out… but the post by Marika Lynch brought up some interesting points, which I hadn’t thought about—Enzo doesn’t know the common words for “potty” or “water” in English. I imagine that explaining to him that he is going to go to a school where the maestra is only going to speak English to him would be easier to do at 3 than at 2, hopefully limiting any potential traumatic experiences??

At this point, I think that I have to apply and see what happens. I can always see how I feel about Enzo’s language skills when he is 2 (also, there is no guarantee that he will be “accepted”). I have thought about other possible options: a part time program, where Enzo would go to school two mornings a week, or two full days, thus giving him SOME exposure, but at a slower pace. I have also thought of finding a family care program (in a person’s home) where the teachers speak Spanish. I am hoping I will have a Eureka moment when I will figure out how to get the best of both worlds.

{photo by  shannatheshedevil}

Diana Limongi-Gabriele is a Latina New Yorker with proud Ecuadorian roots, married to a Frenchman. She is mommy to Enzo, a French/Hispanic/European/American (one day trilingual) 17 month old boy. She works hard juggling a full-time job, motherhood, family, grad school and her blog: Ladydeelg.tumblr.com where she writes about issues she is passionate about, including teaching her son Spanish, parenting, Latino issues, good quality food and motherhood.