Lindsay in Maine, US
Jul 11, 2014 12:22:24 GMT 9
Post by Lindsay on Jul 11, 2014 12:22:24 GMT 9
¡Saludos a todos! My name is Lindsay and I live on the coast of Maine with my three children: Mia (6), Andy (3) and Tessa (2). Spanish has always been our family language, even though we live in an English-dominant and relatively un-diverse part of the country.
For a number of years, we lived in the Dominican Republic where the kids' dad is from. Mia, our oldest daughter, was born in Santo Domingo, and until she was 11 months old I spoke only English to her. When we moved to the States in 2009, I switched to speaking only Spanish with her because I wanted to keep our family language clear and intact. It was a life-changing choice to make, but I didn't know it then.
Two years ago, the kids' dad and I split up, and since then I've been a full-time single parent. Talk about being a zoo keeper! In spite of the logistical problems that come with single-parenting and never having enough time, hands or sleep, I have continued to speak only Spanish with my kids, and - miracle of miracles - my little language experiment is working. The three of them even play (and fight) together in Spanish, which I find truly amazing.
Language-learning has been a lifelong passion of mine, though I was raised a monolingual English speaker and only took my first Spanish class in my mid-twenties. Despite my late start, from the beginning I threw myself into learning Spanish, and haven't let up since. My need to maintain and improve my own language skills becomes even more urgent as my oldest daughter's vocabulary needs increase, and I have to keep one step ahead of her.
Parenting in a second and minority language is a big commitment, and I've joined this forum looking for all the support and inspiration I can get along the way. Thanks, Adam, for making this zoo happen!
For a number of years, we lived in the Dominican Republic where the kids' dad is from. Mia, our oldest daughter, was born in Santo Domingo, and until she was 11 months old I spoke only English to her. When we moved to the States in 2009, I switched to speaking only Spanish with her because I wanted to keep our family language clear and intact. It was a life-changing choice to make, but I didn't know it then.
Two years ago, the kids' dad and I split up, and since then I've been a full-time single parent. Talk about being a zoo keeper! In spite of the logistical problems that come with single-parenting and never having enough time, hands or sleep, I have continued to speak only Spanish with my kids, and - miracle of miracles - my little language experiment is working. The three of them even play (and fight) together in Spanish, which I find truly amazing.
Language-learning has been a lifelong passion of mine, though I was raised a monolingual English speaker and only took my first Spanish class in my mid-twenties. Despite my late start, from the beginning I threw myself into learning Spanish, and haven't let up since. My need to maintain and improve my own language skills becomes even more urgent as my oldest daughter's vocabulary needs increase, and I have to keep one step ahead of her.
Parenting in a second and minority language is a big commitment, and I've joined this forum looking for all the support and inspiration I can get along the way. Thanks, Adam, for making this zoo happen!
Very positive podcast review of my book Bilingual Success Stories Around the World at Kletsheads 
