If you have followed me for a while, you know that I grew up bilingual: Spanish at home and English at school since I was in third grade all the way to high school. Being bilingual at 18 was a privilege that I took seriously and never for granted. I knew then that not very many young people like me could communicate in two languages and I was grateful for the opportunity that my schooling had allowed me. I also viewed that privilege as a responsibility, an opportunity, and as access to share that privilege with others. I still see it that way, all these years later. Perhaps that is why when I started my bilingual parenting journey over two decades ago, I became such an advocate about bilingualism and found ways to help parents, like me, that believe that language was a powerful tool to preserve culture and that understood the benefits and advantages of being bilingual. But all my good intentions didn’t come without hardships. Bilingualism was not a popular subject back then and it was viewed as a privilege granted to some and not many.
Bilingualism And Prejudice
Fast forward to today, Diandra Morse, our Dominican bilingual mom friend and founder of Bilingualplaydate which offers social-emotional bilingual parenting support and advocacy, recently addressed the topic of bilingualism and prejudice. She beautifully summarized how the positive experiences in our bilingual journey can be a form of privilege connected with where we live and what we look like.
Reading her post reminded me of all the years that I had to defend my bilingualism as it was perceived as a privilege for a few and not many.
I invite you to watch our IGTV! It is filled with thought-provoking moments that can really have an impact on your bilingual journey.
As a bilingual parent of two, committed and passionate about preserving heritage language and culture, Diandra urges parents to educate themselves about bilingualism “There are still many misconceptions out there. Facts can stop prejudice,” she shared.
Diandra’s tips for raising bilingual children:
- Understand that it is demanding.
- Understand that it is NOT going to be perfect.
- Be gentle and patient with yourself!
- Be a model- Find ways to instill the value of culture, the language connection.
- Enjoy the process – Find bonding opportunities, create memories.
For more about Diandra follow her on Instagram @bilingualplaydate.
Thanks, Di!
