Today, I’m writing about something that most of us don’t talk about: MONEY. Personal finances. Status.

Just typing the words makes me cringe because they are such taboo topics in this first world, competitive country. None of us likes to admit that we might be down on our luck, or that we can’t afford to keep up with the Joneses (or los López, as the case may be). This constant pressure is something we can get over when we’re talking about cars or jewelry, but when it comes to our children, we all want to have the means to give them every opportunity. What if lack of funds is a major barrier to raising a bilingual family?

I wouldn’t say this is the case with my family, since we are lucky that our children have exposure to lots of Spanish-speaking family members. However, it is a factor in our inability to send our children to camps, buy them quality bilingual books, and especially take trips to Latin America. By the time we pay for five flights, our vacation budget would be gone…that is, if we had a vacation budget.

To be honest, since my husband and I met and started raising our kids together, we have been dealing with the financial burdens of child support, debt from our respective divorces, and the everyday challenges that come with keeping up a house and cars. Even when we try to make cultural exposure or recreational activities a priority, it seems like we are the couple from the movie Up, constantly breaking open our savings jar because of some expensive emergency.

I’m sure lots of couples feel that way in this ongoing recession, but I never realized how much more depressing this (or, in many cases, true poverty) can be when you’re trying to show your kids that a second language is important. We don’t all have public dual immersion programs available, and we certainly can’t all afford tutoring or good bilingual movies and games. Sure, there are great children’s TV programs in Spanish, but what if (like us) you can’t even justify paying for cable? There are also lots of free apps out there, some of which we review at SpanglishBaby, but what if you don’t have a smartphone or an iPad? It can seem like there’s an expensive roadblock at every turn.

Aside from visiting the public library and reaching out to Spanish-speaking friends or family for in-home language support, what would you advise those who can’t set aside money to establish a bilingual life do to feel better about their children’s Spanish language exposure?

Regardless of the particulars of our financial circumstances, I think we could all use some creative ideas for stepping beyond the world of stuff and remembering that the true beauty of the second-language gift has little to do with purchasing ability. Share your tips in the comments so we can help each other to feel less inadequate and more inspired.

{Photo by slowdownfast.com}

We’ve been in Texas since Friday spending time with some really good Mexican friends we consider family. We’re preparing everything for our New Year’s Eve celebration tonight and as I was checking to make sure we had enough grapes for everyone to eat 12 at the stroke of midnight, I started thinking of all the other traditions/superstitions Latinos have related to Año Nuevo.

12 uvas de la suerte

This tradition is originally from Spain, but has been adopted by many Latin American countries including Mexico. Tradition dictates that when the clock strikes midnight, you have to eat 12 grapes and make a wish with each stroke of the clock.

The 12 grapes represent the 12 months of the year and the idea is that by eating a dozen grapes, you’re ensuring the 12 months ahead will be good and prosperous ones.

¡A viajar!

If you want to travel, this is one I remember my mother doing every single year. All you have to do is go for a walk around your neighborhood with your suitcase before the clock strikes midnight. Some recommend you go around the block, but the other option is to cross the street in front of your house with your suitcase. I like this last option better now that I live in Colorado and it’s usually freezing cold on New Year’s Eve.

Green is for dinero

Many Latinos believe strongly that the color underwear they wear on December 31 will dictate the kind of luck they’ll have in the New Year. If you’re looking to attract love you need to wear red underwear.

For good luck or to attract money you better be wearing yellow. Although in some countries green is more closely associated with financial well-being and yellow with positive energy. I figure it doesn’t hurt, so why not?

Sweeping away todo lo malo

Nothing worse than starting the new year surrounded by negative energy. Hence, many people believe in sweeping the entrance to their home to get rid of it. Others put dollar bills near their front door and sweep them inwards to assure prosperity and financial good luck.

Others don’t sweep, but they fill a bucket or glass of water, open their front door and throw it out. The idea is the same: get rid of any bad energy and start the year as clean as possible.

I’ve never done this one, but maybe I should — especially the one with the dollar bills!

What New Year’s Eve traditions do you have?

{Photo by GoodNCrazy}

We’re in our second week of school and I still haven’t brought myself to give my daughter the allowance I had thought I would be giving her as soon as she became a kindergartener. Just last week I shared an article over at Babble titled “7 Tips for Teaching Young Kids About Money and Managing an Allowance” where I mention:

I recently had the chance to join a webinar titled “Moms Talking Money,” presented by Women & Co, a service of Citi that is dedicated to helping women strengthen their financial futures, where Linda Descano, President and CEO, told us that kindergarten is actually an ideal time to give kids their first allowance and introduce them to the concept of money beyond knowing their coins. Best practice, according to Descano and other experts, is to give them one dollar per year of age. In this case, my girl will get $5 dollars each week. Some parents decide to do it bi-weekly, and that’s fine too.

This advice really resonated with me and sounded logical because more than teaching my daughter about how to earn money, I’m interested in her learning what to do with it once she has it. I’m a strong believer that we must first focus on developing our passions and finding out what we’re good amazing at and encourage our kids to do the same by going after that with no regret. Yes, that means developing more than a work ethic, it requires a go-getter attitude and abundance will follow.

So, unlike most, I won’t make my daughter “work” for her allowance. She’s only five. That doesn’t mean that she’s not expected to do her share around the house, but she will do it because she’s part of the family and we all take care of each other together.

Her allowance will be something else that she will need to take care of and decide if she will spend it, save it or donate it. She has those options and I want her to learn money management that way.

Now, why haven’t I done it yet? I think it’s because there’s been too much coming her way in the last two weeks. As soon as I feel she’s settled into her new life, I will have the allowance and money management talk with her and she’ll get $5 every Sunday. We’ll use that time to talk about what she plans to do with it, how it can stretch further or help others, and in turn help herself by giving.

How do you tackle the issue of allowance and money with your kids? Is giving an allowance to a 5-year-old too soon or just right?

Would love to know what you think and will give a $50 Citibank gift card* to two of you who answer in the comments below and to two who share in the forum at SpanglishBaby Playground.

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*Redemption of gift card is governed by gift card terms

{Photo by chris.vandyk on flickr}