2 Spaniards raising Eng-Spa bilingual children in Spain
Mar 5, 2019 21:01:03 GMT 9
Post by Raquel on Mar 5, 2019 21:01:03 GMT 9
That's exactly it, Marta . I think it happens to all of us that there are fields where we feel more comfortable speaking one language or another, because that's the language we normally use.
I also try to be proactive regarding school. I always buy books on whatever they're doing at school and work on them. But there are things that will always be easier for them to say in Spanish, because they're using them daily. And that's fine. If I try to compete with it, I'll go crazy.
Thanks for those words, Nellie ! You're right about translating too. I know it's hard for me when that happens, because instead of just talking, I'm translating. So I can definitely see how it would be hard for a small child.
I don't know what I said to give you the impression that my daughter's English is like that of a native's, Nellie . It isn't. She feels more comfortable in English than in Spanish, or so she says, but she doesn't speak like a native speaker. She spends only half of her time in either language.
We spoke with the speech therapist on Thursday. My husband and I were asked to go first, just the 2 of us. From what we told her she said there was no need for my daughter to even go, that she saw no red flags. As long as she understands what we say, and she does, perfectly, and there's progress, which there is, there's nothing to worry about. That we had to give our daughter time. I even showed her a video of my daughter talking, and she said there was nothing wrong there. So my mind was finally put at ease. This had been at the back of my mind for a long time.
A big thanks to Adam Beck too for all his help with this. I see we have some work to do to keep strengthening my daughter's ml skills, but there isn't anything medical getting in the way.
Children didn't have school this past Friday or yesterday, so we had a little extra ml time. We still spent time with their grandparents and cousin, so there was still ML-time, but also extra time in the ml. They both spent over 40h in the ml.
Reading: My daughter read every day in the ml. Now that she's reading books, we're using the Biff, Chip and Kipper books. We read all the phonic books from level 2 to 4, and she's now reading the level 4 stories. I've noticed she recognizes more and more words she doesn't need to sound out. They're all simple words for now.
Yesterday, I started asking questions when reading to them. With my daughter I'm reading an Isadora Moon book, and with my son sometimes one with a dinosaur (Danny and the Dinosaur. School Days), some others a Paw Patrol book, a show he loves. I sometimes stop and ask what just happened, other times I wait until the end to ask what happened, or we go over the book again, so that they tell me what happened in the pictures.
I finally bought the storytelling dice, although not the original ones. I happened to see them at a store and couldn't help myself. My daughter loves them, but her stories don't make much sense. We need to work on that. My son just loves rolling the dice.
After what my daughter's teacher said, asking us to speak Spanish to my daughter, I was curious to see how my daughter would react to it. After all, my idea is switching to using both languages once my children are older. This is what happened in each situation:
- More important than chocolate: I asked whether she wanted to watch a certain movie in Spanish. She didn't; said she didn't understand everything in Spanish, while she does in English, which was just an excuse. I asked then whether she understood me in Spanish and said "¿Quieres chocolate?" (=Do you want chocolate?) She said she didn't understand. I insisted and she kept saying she didn't understand me. I then told her I would give it to her if she told me what I just said. She quickly said "Really? Will you give me chocolate?"
- More important than being right: She was arguing with my husband. He said my daughter didn't listen to us, and she insisted she did. She was answering all our questions, to prove us wrong. Then I asked something in Spanish. She knew I was talking to her, but ignored me.
- Not even with friends: This one wasn't on purpose. She was with 2 other friends, and to address them all I spoke Spanish. I usually translate it into English for her...force of habit. But this time I didn't, and so I was talking and looking at each of them in turn. At one point my daughter cried Don't speak Spanish to me!" and left all upset. I later explained that I wasn't speaking Spanish to her, but addressing everyone in this language because she speaks both and her friends wouldn't understand me in English.
Clearly, the emotional component of what language we speak with our loved ones isn't a small one. My daughter would rather be wrong and not eat chocolate than have me speaking Spanish to her. I now have all this ammunition for our next meeting *insert evil smilie here*
I also try to be proactive regarding school. I always buy books on whatever they're doing at school and work on them. But there are things that will always be easier for them to say in Spanish, because they're using them daily. And that's fine. If I try to compete with it, I'll go crazy.
Thanks for those words, Nellie ! You're right about translating too. I know it's hard for me when that happens, because instead of just talking, I'm translating. So I can definitely see how it would be hard for a small child.
I don't know what I said to give you the impression that my daughter's English is like that of a native's, Nellie . It isn't. She feels more comfortable in English than in Spanish, or so she says, but she doesn't speak like a native speaker. She spends only half of her time in either language.
We spoke with the speech therapist on Thursday. My husband and I were asked to go first, just the 2 of us. From what we told her she said there was no need for my daughter to even go, that she saw no red flags. As long as she understands what we say, and she does, perfectly, and there's progress, which there is, there's nothing to worry about. That we had to give our daughter time. I even showed her a video of my daughter talking, and she said there was nothing wrong there. So my mind was finally put at ease. This had been at the back of my mind for a long time.
A big thanks to Adam Beck too for all his help with this. I see we have some work to do to keep strengthening my daughter's ml skills, but there isn't anything medical getting in the way.
Children didn't have school this past Friday or yesterday, so we had a little extra ml time. We still spent time with their grandparents and cousin, so there was still ML-time, but also extra time in the ml. They both spent over 40h in the ml.
Reading: My daughter read every day in the ml. Now that she's reading books, we're using the Biff, Chip and Kipper books. We read all the phonic books from level 2 to 4, and she's now reading the level 4 stories. I've noticed she recognizes more and more words she doesn't need to sound out. They're all simple words for now.
Yesterday, I started asking questions when reading to them. With my daughter I'm reading an Isadora Moon book, and with my son sometimes one with a dinosaur (Danny and the Dinosaur. School Days), some others a Paw Patrol book, a show he loves. I sometimes stop and ask what just happened, other times I wait until the end to ask what happened, or we go over the book again, so that they tell me what happened in the pictures.
I finally bought the storytelling dice, although not the original ones. I happened to see them at a store and couldn't help myself. My daughter loves them, but her stories don't make much sense. We need to work on that. My son just loves rolling the dice.
After what my daughter's teacher said, asking us to speak Spanish to my daughter, I was curious to see how my daughter would react to it. After all, my idea is switching to using both languages once my children are older. This is what happened in each situation:
- More important than chocolate: I asked whether she wanted to watch a certain movie in Spanish. She didn't; said she didn't understand everything in Spanish, while she does in English, which was just an excuse. I asked then whether she understood me in Spanish and said "¿Quieres chocolate?" (=Do you want chocolate?) She said she didn't understand. I insisted and she kept saying she didn't understand me. I then told her I would give it to her if she told me what I just said. She quickly said "Really? Will you give me chocolate?"
- More important than being right: She was arguing with my husband. He said my daughter didn't listen to us, and she insisted she did. She was answering all our questions, to prove us wrong. Then I asked something in Spanish. She knew I was talking to her, but ignored me.
- Not even with friends: This one wasn't on purpose. She was with 2 other friends, and to address them all I spoke Spanish. I usually translate it into English for her...force of habit. But this time I didn't, and so I was talking and looking at each of them in turn. At one point my daughter cried Don't speak Spanish to me!" and left all upset. I later explained that I wasn't speaking Spanish to her, but addressing everyone in this language because she speaks both and her friends wouldn't understand me in English.
Clearly, the emotional component of what language we speak with our loved ones isn't a small one. My daughter would rather be wrong and not eat chocolate than have me speaking Spanish to her. I now have all this ammunition for our next meeting *insert evil smilie here*