I’m an Annapolis mom, born and raised in the Dominican Republic. My first language is Spanish, not English, although I was raised bilingual thanks to the excellent education and opportunities my parents gave my siblings and me. As a U.S. citizen now, living in the United States for over ten years, I still struggle every day with the moral responsibility that I feel for raising my son multicultural and bilingual. His father is American (born and raised in Annapolis, MD). Although we are divorced now, we both agree that it is essential for my son to embrace my Latino culture and my native language, too, as we believe it will only help him be better in life.
In my research, I’ve found that the most important method for raising multicultural and bilingual children is actually very simple: exposure, exposure, and more exposure!
That’s it. Here are some practical ways to do this:
- If possible, speak the second language to them or allow them to listen to music and read books in that language. Anne Arundel County Public Libraries have excellent resources and often host activities and events celebrating many different cultures and bilingual storytimes. Lil’ Libros is also a great option.
- Get them toys or board games that embrace different cultures, like the ones created by Dutidú (Full disclosure–Along with my business partner, Marie Claire Vasquez Durán, this is our entrepreneurial baby, which we created because we couldn’t find what we were looking for in the board games department!).
- Spend time with friends from other nationalities and share their national dishes, or venture out to new restaurants with diverse cuisine.
- Visit different countries, if you can (even if it is using virtual tools!), to show your kids that there’s so much more in the world beyond our cute town.
It’s all about unveiling the world to our children: its languages, cultures, and wonders. Open their minds, and their lives will have no borders.
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