Post by Noemie on Aug 6, 2022 10:15:19 GMT 9
Hi there,
We are a French/Kiwi aka New-Zealand family based in Auckland.
I first come across Adam’s book when I was pregnant and since then read them all and often come back to it to find some motivation and inspiration.
My son is 14 months and has spent most of his time with me - the French mum - as I decided early on to take a long maternity leave to help install good foundations for his bilingualism.
We are following the OPOL strategy even if my hubby is helping by reading bedtime stories in French and speaking now and then a bit of French. We are using as well some sign language which has been amazing as of late as our son just started to communicate to us like that and we found that it is a nice way for him to understand the same word in each language.
However, my son is now about to start daycare three time a week and full time in October. I tried to find a French nanny here but was unsuccessful so far.
My fear is that my son is going to lose his foundations in French and will inevitably start to speak English with me. He probably already knows I’m speaking English but I don’t feel like hiding that from him since I speak English with his dad.
I do only speak French with my son even in public. He also interacts a lot with his grandparents on FaceTime but the balance is going to be hard now.
I have some French friends here and we try to catch up as much as we can but at the end of the day I know it is not enough.
So I guess what I am after is some tools from families that have been through the same thing before me to help me navigate the emotional roller coaster but also if they have any tips to offset the new routine we are going to have. I want to reinforce The “NEED” but I’m afraid only speaking French to him is not enough. We have used cartoons, books and games so far which has been great for exposure. But now I feel the odds are going to be against me.
Thank you in advance for the time you took reading this.
We are a French/Kiwi aka New-Zealand family based in Auckland.
I first come across Adam’s book when I was pregnant and since then read them all and often come back to it to find some motivation and inspiration.
My son is 14 months and has spent most of his time with me - the French mum - as I decided early on to take a long maternity leave to help install good foundations for his bilingualism.
We are following the OPOL strategy even if my hubby is helping by reading bedtime stories in French and speaking now and then a bit of French. We are using as well some sign language which has been amazing as of late as our son just started to communicate to us like that and we found that it is a nice way for him to understand the same word in each language.
However, my son is now about to start daycare three time a week and full time in October. I tried to find a French nanny here but was unsuccessful so far.
My fear is that my son is going to lose his foundations in French and will inevitably start to speak English with me. He probably already knows I’m speaking English but I don’t feel like hiding that from him since I speak English with his dad.
I do only speak French with my son even in public. He also interacts a lot with his grandparents on FaceTime but the balance is going to be hard now.
I have some French friends here and we try to catch up as much as we can but at the end of the day I know it is not enough.
So I guess what I am after is some tools from families that have been through the same thing before me to help me navigate the emotional roller coaster but also if they have any tips to offset the new routine we are going to have. I want to reinforce The “NEED” but I’m afraid only speaking French to him is not enough. We have used cartoons, books and games so far which has been great for exposure. But now I feel the odds are going to be against me.
Thank you in advance for the time you took reading this.