I speak Swedish and my husbands native language is English. When we had our two children, we had no doubt that we wanted to raise them with equal access to both languages. Now, years later, when Ive made promoting multilingual child-raising not just my avocation, but my vocation as well, people ask me for the straight story, warts and all. What is the difference, raising bilingual children? What do you wish you knew before you got started?
Its clear to most of us that speaking multiple languages is a good thing, and learning multiple languages in the early years is a nearly effortless means to fluency. Your multilingual child will have a head start in schools during a time when more and more of them are requiring a foreign language. And once your kid knows two languages, the move to three, or four is much easier.
Counter-intuitively, the effects of growing up bilingually include superior reading and writing skills in both languages, as well as better analytical, social, and academic skills. Parents who are themselves involved in high level careers are already well aware that professional prospects abound for those with fluency in multiple languages. So, that all...