Hi from Austria: starting the bilingual journey by accident?

Welcome Angie,

I'm a non-native English speaker that was educated in British international schools and studied in the UK. My Spanish husband and I decided I should rear our girls in English from day 1. You do not have to be a native to rear in another language. I think the key is that you are comfortable with that language. And I imagine that as a teacher you are!

I can understand that you wish to have a common family language. Does your husband speak English or at least understand it? We use ml@h but I speak in English (ml2) and my husband speaks in Spanish (ml1) to our girls, and though we don't use the same language we understand it and the family communication is still harmonious. I speak in ml1 to my husband because he is not comfortable speaking ml2 at home (though he speaks it at work).

Start with ml playtimes with your little boy and let him hear you speak the ml to your daughter. Put a lot of ml audio background: nursery rhymes, radio, music, telly - it doesn't have to be child orientated. The idea is to bathe the house in ml so your little one will get familiar with the language. Once you can tell he is familiar with the ml and understands it a bit, progressively slip into OPOL, and later on into ml@home. Though OPOL is not your favourite strategy, it might be a nice way to get your little boy started. Once he starts using a little bit of English, you might then slip to a ml@home strategy. No strategy is final. You can make it evolve according to your needs. I certainly did twice over the last 6 years. The important thing is being consistent every day.

Hope these ideas might give you food for thought.

Good luck on this amazing journey. It is a lot of work. On a daily basis. It is persistence that pays off, so never give up. There will be bumps. But it is a marathon, not a speed-race.

Nellie the Elephant : Well loved nursery songs
www.amazon.fr/dp/B01MYMF32M

The Wheels on the bus – BBC
www.amazon.fr/Wheels-Bus-Audio-Childrens-2007-04-19/dp/B01K17HEQO/

Sing along songs in the car – Kidzone
www.amazon.fr/Sing-Along-Songs-Car-Nursery/dp/B00QCKAVC4/

Spotify also has audio books which she likes to listen to from time to time.

Creating a ml audio background is not limited to just kids' stuff though. Here is what I do at home:
ourmlhome.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/creating-an-minority-language-audio-background/

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you have any further questions, I'm happy to help.