Essay On The Pros And Cons Of Raising A Bilingual Child

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Home » Education and Reference » Languages Myths, Pros, and Cons of Raising a Multilingual Child By Jeff Noctis Dec 8, 2010 I was born and raised in the western United States. During my early 20s I developed an interest in the history, geography, and cultures of the western hemisphere. So one day while at the book store I picked up a book about Canadian society. I learned a number of things but what really stuck with me wasn 't strictly about Canada or Canadians. The author wrote that while growing up he remembered thinking it was quite normal for a child to speak French to his mother and English to his father and being surprised to discover it wasn 't. That 's it. That one statement made quite an impression on me. Because of my interest in the Americas I dreamt of moving to Chile or some other Spanish speaking country. I wanted to explore the countries I was interested in, although I admit I also had developed an interest in the exposure to "hot Latinas" I would undoubtedly experience in Latin America. While attending the University of Colorado I discovered a study abroad program in Mexico so that 's where I ended up going. It turned out to be a good choice. …show more content…

At some point your child is likely to resist speaking the minority language, especially if there is no apparent need to speak it. Also, when it 's time to start learning grammar, spelling, and reading you will have to find a way for your child to learn the same with the second language. If you live in a community where it 's difficult to find resources in your child 's second language it will take that much more effort. You will want to find toys, books, movies, TV and educational materials in the second language. Also important will be other live speakers of the second language such as friends, babysitters, and