Name: Paula Herrera-Sikl?dy
Number of children and ages: Jacob (8) and Chiara (almost 11)
The languages your family uses: Spanish, English, Catalan
What motivated you to raise your child(ren) bilingually:
I grew up in a French school in Catalonia, Spain, where even the dumbest kids were able to manage three languages. When I was 3, I was left in a classroom with a teacher that would only speak French to me ?or so I?m told, because I have no memory of ever not knowing French. I absorbed it like a sponge, without noticing. I have never lived in a French speaking country and I never spoke it at home and yet it?s almost a mother language to me. Multilingualism has always been part of my life in a very natural way. If we lived in Spain, I would make sure that my children learn something besides Spanish and Catalan. Living in the US, however, I also feel that not speaking to my children in Spanish would be like stealing something from them. Spanish and Catalan are part of their heritage.
How does the bilingualism work in your family (i.e., who speaks what language? When do you switch? How do you decide on what language to use and when?)
Each parent speaks his/her mother language to the children: Spanish for me, Catalan for dad. That also applies to the relatives of each one. The children can clearly tell which language belongs in each situation. Their dad and I speak Catalan to each other, so if address him, I?ll speak Catalan. But if I then turn to the children in the next sentence, I?ll continue in Spanish. The children also switch languages when addressing mom or dad. This may sound really hard and awkward, but it is truly the way communication in a group happens in Catalonia. Everyone is bilingual, so nobody gets lost.
English enters the scene when someone who doesn?t understand Spanish/Catalan is present.
What are some of the challenges you?ve encountered?
Sooner or later, English becomes their strongest language, and then they will try to use it with you. It?s just easier for them, and they often do it without even realizing. It is crucial to be very, very stubborn, and ask them to switch back to the other language ?every time. If I give up, I know the day will come, 10 or 20 years from now, when they?ll complain to me ?Why didn?t you force me to speak Spanish?!?? Also, one day your sweet baby will be a cranky teenager, and I want to keep the advantage of being able to argue in my native tongue ?
Finding formal education of Spanish has been really hard. Several years ago, I tried to organize a class for Chiara, who was then in first grade. Ames has a good number of children who speak Spanish at home and are thus relatively fluent, and I expected that gathering a group for a once-a-week class would be an easy task. Sadly, I encountered a cold response. All my attempts to circulate some information through the school system were blocked by the district or school administrations. I had a perplexing conversation with someone who teaches Spanish as a second language, who tried to convince me that teaching my children Spanish would prevent them from learning proper English. Out of the few parents I was able to contact, only a handful were interested and unfortunately we have never been able to find a suitable schedule for all. As for the rest, I can only sadly suspect that they bought into the impossibility of bilingualism and see Spanish as an obstacle for their children.
So we?ve settled for tutors. Chiara and Jacob?s grammar and vocabulary has improved a lot, and they are learning to read and write properly in Spanish. It?s worth every penny. They regularly complain because they have to stay home and study (one hour a week!), and individual classes can be dull, so we?ve had several conversations where I try to explain to them everything I?m telling you, and why this is so important, and they understand. I know we?ll have to talk it over many times again, but that?s what education is all about.
What have been some of the rewards of raising a bilingual child?
Along with language come culture and a different way of seeing the world. If our children did not speak Spanish and Catalan, they would not be able to connect to their roots and communicate with their relatives, and there would be many things I would not be able to share with them. Of course, because my language is Spanish, I also enjoy knowing that I?m allowing them to communicate with roughly half a billion people in the world. That?s not a small number.
What role does your extended family play in your decision and ability to raise a bilingual child?
Every time a relative comes here and every trip to Europe are intensive language courses for our children. Their Spanish or Catalan flourishes instantaneously. Being able to communicate with their beloved cousins, grandparents, etc., is a great incentive for them.
What resources have you found useful?
Local resources are scarce. Over the years, I have brought books and DVDs with me from Spain, and relatives help with more of them as gifts. The public library has little to offer and most of it is geared toward Spanish as a second language or toward Spanish-speaking adults. Children books in Spanish available in the US are often very poor translations into an artificial when not incorrect Spanish.
What are some of your long-term goals?
I would like my children to master Spanish by the time they leave high school. I hope they?ll be able to write correctly and to read serious literature (I don?t need them to feel comfortable with Cervantes, but I hope they will be able to enjoy Garc?a M?rquez, just like I struggle with Shakespeare but enjoy every word of Steinbeck). If they chose to do so, they would be perfectly ready to live and work in a Spanish-speaking country.
What advice would you give a new parent starting the process?
Be stubborn. Remember that, down the road, your child will be infinitely grateful for your efforts: you?re making them a gift. Set a high bar for your hopes: children can learn languages very easily if the environment forces them to.
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Thank you so much for your contribution, Paula! I think I need to write ?be stubborn? on a post-it and put it on my fridge; a great mantra indeed! Paula also raised a great point about trying to organize the foreign language community that you see missing from your town by taking action yourself. I?d love to hear from other readers out there who have attempted similar feats and who have maybe not met with resistance from local schools and administration. How did you go about organzing a second language group? Does anyone have a success story to share?
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Stay tuned for more profiles of bilingual parents to come and contact me if you?d like to be a part of the series with your family?s story! Check out more on bilingual parenting in the archives here.
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