So today while I was talking to my hubby and I realized something that I never thought would happen, I'm beginning to forget my English! I was trying to describe something to him and could not remember for the life of me how to say it in English so I said it in Spanish. I have also caught myself several times saying things backwards. You know how in English and Spanish everything is flipped, well I seem to be stuck on Spanish mode. I have always spoken Spanish my whole life but I speak English a lot better. It worries me because I have only been in Mexico 18 months and I still have 8 1/2 yrs to go. I tell my hubby all the time to only talk to me in English so I can practice but he wants to do the same so we end up speaking Spanglish. That is one language I dominate lol. It also got me thinking about my daughter. Since our original plan was to live in the States we have only taught her Spanish, thinking that when she starts school she will learn English right, well that's not gonna happen now.
I have been looking into putting her in bilingual school once we make the big move but dang its expensive! Who has an extra $300 - $400 a month to pay for that? I was talking to my aunt about it and she suggested we pick a good normal school and since both my husband and I speak English that we should teach her at home. Then I thought back to when I was a kid. I was only allowed to speak Spanish inside our home and outside was English. I guess I'll be doing the same for my daughter but flipped. Not a bad idea and it's a lot cheaper. Even though bilingual school is still an option we will know if we can even afford it once my hubby finds a job closer to where we will live which is still a few months away. So there you have it, my random thoughts for the day.
As for your daughter, I wouldn't stress about her learning both languages.
ReplyDeleteMy girl are 4 and 5. They are both bilingual. Since I am a dummy and don't speak Spanish, we speak only English in the house. But, my girls spend time with their grandma, at her house, and none of my inlaws speak any English. So, the girls learned Spanish by spending time with them.
I am homeschooling the girls because I want them to be able to flow into the schools in the US when we do go back. We still have 5.5 years until our bar is up. So, without any stress or worrying about it, my girls learned both languages.
But, I am making sure they are learning to read and write in English. I figured, later on they can learn to read and write in Spanish. So, that is where your bilingual school might help you. She could learn to read and write in both languages from the start.
But, honestly, as long as she hears both lanuages, she will learn both.
Thanks Valarie! I was thinking bilingual school would be great because when we go back in 8.5 yrs she will be use to speaking english in school.i dont think ill do home schooling because we will live in a place with no family or friends and i feel like that will be her only time to interact with other kids. i think ill do the same though and speak only english in our home and spanish outside. i just hope we can afford bilingual school so its an easier transition for her. im not so worried about her learning english cuz i know i can teach her but im more worried about her school. i want to make sure she has a good education, no matter the language you know?
ReplyDelete