Courtesy of Elsie Rivas Gomez

Last week, I found myself passionately reading sonnets by Pablo Neruda to my 2-year-old. Yes, I know that sounds obnoxious, but the book is all pink, and she pulled it off the shelf…then I found the poem in it we read at our wedding…then I told her how romantic it was that Neruda wrote a hundred love sonnets for his wife…And somewhere between eyerolls, my husband suggested I should write love sonnets for the girls.

Now, that sounds easier than it is. Which I told him.  In a former life, I was a poet who wrote poems regularly and developed her craft. But somewhere between the babies and the job and and and…I’m lucky to get out a blog post here or there.  Still, I let myself think about it and that night I tried to compose one while up with the baby in middle of the night.  I’ve heard other moms say they compose blog posts like that.  However, I didn’t write it down and it dissapeared. Whoosh.  So, I did what I could and I wrote a poem, and you’ll find it below.

But, regardless of the poem, or maybe because of the poem, I’m thinking now of my other tongue. Not English or Spanish, but my creative tongue that used to tell stories and make poems.  I think perhaps I need to use that one more often.  As mothers and fathers, we are always code-switching between languages and roles, negotiating with ourselves for time and space.  I keep speaking in Spanish, Spanglish, and English to my girls because I want them to be able to speak in these idiomas facilmente. I want them to always have the words to express themselves.  Today, I’m thinking that maybe that’s too two-dimensional. So I’m going to try to also show them how to speak like a poeta, and maybe tomorrow like a scientist, and then like a mathmetician. Because if I want them to love their two languages, then I need them to play in all their voices and I know they have multitudes of voices inside. We all do.

Lost Poem by Elsie Rivas Gomez

I wrote a poem for you
at 3 am while rocking you, patting your warm back
willing your eyes to close, like mine
I wrote it between the beats of my heart
on the exhale of my breath into your hair

But it’s gone now

the sun filled our bed
and washed it away like the dark
edged out by the rising light

it was about you
something about
your eyes, how they hold your secrets
how inside them I can see
flickers of the woman you’ll become

it was about your skin
made of milk and tears
of so many spoken and unspoken wishes

I wanted to say something about how I am a mother
because you are my baby
how both those things can only be true together,
like some mathematical equation that I feel in my bones

I think I said something
about seeing my body in your body
at times
but how other times, like now,
you are a total surprise to me
with a dimple that didn’t come from me or your father
with a wry smile I don’t recognize

the poem I wrote for you was a sonnet
in iambic pentameter
which is easy to write in while rocking
to the sound of our hearts beating

but this moment
I’ve snuck away to type as your father holds you
and your sister dances for you
this moment is not so
rhythmic
it’s a stolen moment without you
the light harsher and the world noisier mid-morning

I just wanted to tell you
that there is a poem in me, and it is about you.

Even though the words are gone, it’s here
in the space beneath the center of my chest,
where you like to lay your head and sleep.

Poema Perdido por Elsie Rivas Gomez

Te escribi un poema
a las tres de la manaña, mientras te mecía, acariciandio tu espalda calientita
esperando que tus ojos se cierren, como los mios
Lo escribí entre los latidos de mi corazón
en la exhalación de mis respiros en tu pelo

Pero ahora se ha perdido

el sol llenó nuestra cama
y lo arrastró como la oscuridad
desplazada por la luz

se trataba de ti
algo acerca
de tus ojos, cómo guardan tus secretos
cómo dentro de ellos puedo ver
destellos de la mujer en la que te vas a convertir

se trataba de tu piel
hecha de leche y lágrimas
de tantos deseos hablados y secretos

Yo quería decir algo acerca de cómo soy una madre
porque vos sos mi bebé
cómo estas dos cosas sólo pueden ser verdaderas a la misma vez,
como una ecuación matemática que siento en mis huesos

Creo que dije algo
de ver mi cuerpo en tu cuerpo
a veces
pero cómo otras veces, como ahora,
sos un sorpresa completa
con un hoyuelo que no vino de mí ni de tu padre
con una sonrisa irónica que no reconozco

el poema que escribí para ti era un soneto
en pentámetro yámbico
que es fácil de escribir, mientras en la mecedora
al ritmo de los latidos de nuestros corazones

pero este momento
que me he escapado mientras tu padre te tiene en sus brazos
y tu hermana baila para ti
este momento no es tan
rítmico
es un momento robado lejos de  ti
la luz más dura y el mundo más ruidoso a media mañana

Solo te quería decir
que hay un poema en mí, y es acerca de ti.

Aunque las palabras se han ido, está aquí
en el espacio debajo del centro de mi pecho,
donde te gusta acostar tu cabeza y soñar.

Please, in the comments, share with me the other “languages” and voices you want to share and/or foster with your kids and any ideas you have for how to do so.

Photo by timsamoff

It was all about the H1N1 flu (a.k.a. swine flu) this week. Everywhere I turned, that’s all everyone was talking about. So, today’s Yo Quiero Links! is kind of lean…

1) Immigration foes use swine flu to renew arguments that Mexican border should be sealed – The volatile immigration issue had cooled off on talk shows and in the blogosphere as the presidential election and economic crisis unfolded. Now, some are using the spread of the virus to renew arguments that immigration from Mexico is a threat to America. I knew it was just a matter of time before this happened.

2) Changing the Face of Educational Children Television: Carmen Osbahr – She may have been recently recognized as the first Latina television puppeteer in the United States by the National Association of Latina Leaders, but Osbahr has been bringing smiles to the faces of children with her cuddly Muppet friends for well over a decade. Appearing on leading educational television shows like Sesame Street, Between the Lions, Bear in the Big Blue House, and Disney Channel’s newest playhouse series, Johnny and the Sprites, Osbahr wouldn’t trade her puppets for any profession in the world. At age 45, this veteran puppeteer has accomplished more than she could have imagined and has yet to grow tired of her Muppet counterparts. Vanessa loves Sesame Street’s Rosita! Now I know why…

3) Latinas Are Technically Savvy, Brand-Loyal ‘Chief Household Officers’ – Two Hispanic media companies have partnered to tell marketers what Latinas want in an in-depth survey and video ethnographies that explore everything from Latinas’ financial worries to their brand-bursting refrigerators and bathroom vanities. Some surprising results, some just interesting.

4) Notes from the Dream Day – We are so happy to announce that fellow blogger, Violeta Garcia-Mendoza (we introduced you to her during our recent Week of Mamás Blogueras), is one of the writers of the just-published book “Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering,” an amazing collection about raising multicultural kids whether because of intercultural marriage, international adoption or nomadic lifestyles. Can’t wait to read this!! Felicidades, Violeta!

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First in an occasional series…

Since we all have different stories to tell and our own ways of raising our kids bilingual, from time to time, we will invite a guest to contribute to SpanglishBaby. Today, we introduce you to the first one. We hope you enjoy it!

The following is a guest post written by Karen:  Spanish learner, mother of two boys and blogger at Teaching and Learning Spanish.

I have to admit that it is difficult to teach Spanish when it’s not your native language, but it is doable. It takes more effort, but the rewards are worth it. Fortunately, I am knowledgeable in the language since I have a BA in Spanish, but I earned that degree back in 1993. After graduation, I didn’t really use the language, but then started studying on my own about five years ago because I wanted to teach it to my two boys, who are now six and nine.

I have discovered that I take a very informal approach when it comes to teaching Spanish to my children. I try to use it on a daily basis and in context. For example, when my younger son is setting the table, we talk about what everyone will need and what we’re eating that evening. I do all of this in Spanish and he responds either through his actions or by words–one word here or there, but he definitely comprehends what I am saying.  Another example is when they get in the car after school, I ask them about their day in Spanish. So, overall they get a good dose of the language every day.

Read: How Can a Non-Native Help Her Child Become Bilingual?

Also, we listen to podcasts together such as Cody’s Cuentos and some of the podcasts (newbie, elementary levels) from SpanishPod.  My older son really seems to enjoy those. After we listen to them, I try to use some of the key vocabulary we learned to help them remember the new words. I also try to incorporate technology in their learning of the language. For instance, my younger son has started doing the activities on Foreign Language Friends. This program has definitely peaked his interest in the language.

In the car, in addition to podcasts, we like to listen to the Professor Pocket CDs and when I say “we” I really mean “we.” I can honestly say I enjoy listening to these CDs with the boys. We also listen to music by Jarabe de Palo, Maná, and others Spanish-speaking bands.

Read: I am not fluent in my child’s second language

Again, it really takes quite a bit of effort on my part to do this. There are times when I get frustrated like when I can’t remember a word or phrase. I try not to let that bother me too much, though. In the end, the fact that they are getting exposure to a different language is what is most important.

Read: Advice for Non-Native Speakers Teaching Their Kids Spanish?

Are you learning Spanish to teach it to your children? We invite you to share your story and tips with us.

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{Photo by Photo by mikecogh}

Photo by luis de bethencourt

As we announced last week, a new expert has joined the SpanglishBaby family and we couldn’t be more excited! Her name is Liza Sánchez and her area of expertise is bilingual education. She received her MA in Education at UC Berkeley and has spent many years teaching in both public and independent schools. She is the founder and Board Chair of Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) in Oakland, California. EBI is the first independent school in California to offer a Spanish-English dual language program, extending from pre-K through 8th grade. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is fluent in Spanish and English, speaks conversational German and can understand quite a bit of French, Portuguese and Italian.

Liza Sánchez

As if all this weren’t enough, another super interesting thing about Liza is that she’s a mom to four multilingual daughters between the ages of 2 and 18. Talk about going through the stages in this journey! Here’s how Liza describes her household situation when it comes to languages: “We speak Spanish at home, English in the community and German with my mother who they see frequently. My five and seven-year old also attended a German preschool where my 2 year-old will soon go. My oldest is now learning her fifth language. She learned Spanish at home and is now studying Spanish literature in school, she attended a French-American school, studied German in high school and with my mother and is now learning Arabic. She’s one lucky kid.”

Wow! Sounds amazing and inspiring, right?

Ok, on to this week’s question and answer:

Will translating everything overwhelm and confuse my child?

This week’s question came from Marianna Coll who lives in Los Angeles with her 27-month-old girl and husband. They are both from Venezuela and use the mL@H method.

“We are the proud parents of a bilingual girl who is absorbing both cultures at a very fast rate. In occasions I find that I am the only one who can fully understand her since she switches so much back and forth from both languages.

At her toddler group, one of the teachers communicated to me that at this age she shouldn’t know as much as she does, she knows her colors really well, most in English and recognizes shapes and all the letters of the alphabet. This she does solely in English. Sometimes I repeat the word or the letter in Spanish, but I don’t want to overwhelm her. With the numbers, once she processed them in English, she started counting then in Spanish and I feel that she will do the same with the rest.

My question is: should I repeat everything in Spanish after she says it in English? Since I know that many of her friends are not near knowing the letters, I don’t want to confuse her and over-saturate her little brain that absorbs so much. Or, should I let her assimilate it on her own like she did with numbers and is starting to do with colors?

Another thing is that the school that we chose none of the teachers speak Spanish and I am OK with that because I am really happy with the school that we chose, we can give her Spanish at home, that can be our special thing, so I don’t want her to feel left out and not being able to communicate, there is a little girl in her school that her parents only spoke in Hebrew to her and she is having a really hard time understanding and participating in class.

Thanks!

Dear Marianna:

Congratulations on raising a bilingual child! As you have already experienced, it isn’t easy. In fact, it can be quite challenging to maintain your native language as your child grows. There is so much English surrounding them that it can become difficult to assure they receive adequate opportunities to use their home language. Since your child is in an English environment at school, you and your husband will need to continue to use only Spanish with her at home. It sounds like she is already speaking quite a bit of English since you are feeling the need to repeat what she says in Spanish.

It is best to avoid becoming a translator. She needs to be able to think in each language independently. In addition, you will need to encourage her to use only Spanish with you. That might mean not responding when she addresses you in English thereby forcing her to use Spanish. Don’t be worried that she might not know how to say something. She’ll find a way to let her desires be known without using English.

Your main concern seems to be about overwhelming your child and confusing her with both English and Spanish. I want to assure you that it is not possible to over-saturate her brain with too much language. Most children around the world learn 2 if not 3-4 languages simultaneously. Children have even been documented learning up to 5-6 languages simultaneously with no problem. Your daughter, at her age, is a powerful language-learning machine. Her brain is wired to take it all in. That is her job right now and it appears she is doing a very good job of it.

According to Dr. Susan Curtiss, a Professor of Linguistics at UCLA who specializes in the way children learn languages:

“…the power to learn language is so great in the young child that it doesn’t seem to matter how many languages you seem to throw their way…They can learn as many spoken languages as you can allow them to hear systematically and regularly at the same time. Children just have this capacity. Their brain is just ripe to do this…there doesn’t seem to be any detriment to…develop(ing) several languages at the same time.”

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association confirms this belief:

“Children all over the world learn more than one language without developing speech or language problems. Bilingual children develop language skills just as other children do.”

It sounds like your child is well on her way to becoming bilingual. She is lucky to have such dedicated parents who are ensuring her success. I wish you much luck!

If you want more info about bilingual education, you can also find Liza blogging about it at Bilingual Talk.

Do you have a question for our experts? Remember no question is too big or too simple. So, to send us your question, please click here or leave a comment below. Thank you!