Bilingual Baby

For those who don't know, English is not Jerry's first language. It's not even his second language... it is his third. Jerry grew up in Venezuela within a German  family and community making Spanish his first language and German a very close second. Jerry's family moved to the United States in the early 80's which led to the privilege and necessity of learning English quickly (but not the privilege of learning it in the public school system, which is the root of many quality discussions about our South Florida, ESL loving, modern public school system that allots two years). With determination and private tutoring, Jerry was fluent in English within six months without the slightest hint of an accent. (I'm so proud!)

We could attempt to raise William trilingual, but unfortunately, there are very few German-speaking people that reside in South Florida (however, I am surprised every time Jerry finds someone) which has lead to Jerry losing some of his fluency and familiarity with the language. On the other hand... there are PLENTY of Spanish speaking people that reside in South Florida, including Jerry's parents who babysit William every so often. This is exciting for me because even though I took Spanish all through high school and was even allowed to skip a year for my "superior knowledge" of the language, I am not very comfortable with my current fluency. This fits masterfully into my plan to raise a bilingual baby because Jerry's parents speak to William in Spanish which allows him to hear conversations and interactions in Spanish correctly and fluently. My work is done for me! If only that were true...

Currently, Jerry and I speak English to each other around William so he can pick up the grammar, vocabulary and language through our interactions and conversations. While I am at work, Jerry speaks to William in Spanish. We also try to say and do things in both languages, for example, when I leave the room I'll say "Bye, bye! Adios!". I do know some simple words  and phrases and I try to label as  much as I can in both languages. I'm sure we are confusing him immensely. 

I consider myself very lucky that my child has the opportunity to be raised bilingual. Being a teacher, I know the many benefits of knowing two languages, especially Spanish and English. Did you know that learning two languages greatly increases the gray matter in your brain? There are also some challenges that we will come across as far as Will's language development in the upcoming years, but I know we have made the right decision.