Every time I have a question about bilingualism or a concern if I'm doing it right, I know who to come to.
Between my partner and I, we speak 8 languages (10 on a good day). Needless to say we were overwhelmed, confused, and scared we'd completely mess up our baby. Kat was so reassuring and such a good sounding board for us trying to navigate this complex environment. With our language plan we were really able to narrow in on what languages we actually want to give our daughter, which ones can come later at school, and which ones aren't a priority. She helped us make sense of what seemed to us a giant mess and we are so thankful!
I was extremely afraid of failing. While my siblings and I are all Spa-Eng bilingual, none of my six nieces and nephews speak Spanish. I've put some immense pressure on myself to not let the language die with me. Family Language Planning 101 helped me figure out exactly what my goals were, see how much exposure my daughter was getting, and helped me make some important decisions regarding childcare to help us meet our family's goals for both language and education. The investment in Bringing up Bilinguals was 100% worth it.
She just had a 2 minute conversation with her Grandma on the phone! This would have been impossible 3 months ago. When I reached out to Kat, my daughter was 10 and I was so nervous it was too late for us. My daughter was motivated but I didn't know where to start or if it was even possible for us now. Kat created such a clear to follow plan and I love how she stressed making it sustainable for me because all the times I'd tried before I'd get into a stage of intensity and we'd burn out and get frustrated one week in. We are finally making so much progress and watching my daughter's confidence soar speaking Russian makes me so happy. Hearing my mom and daughter send short videos to each other and speak on the phone even for a few minutes without me translating every word, brings me to tears. They are finally building a relationship that I've always wanted as a mom who lives far from her family and country.
There's a lot of bilingual accounts out there but none I trust quite like Kat. I always struggled to find advice that seemed to fit our dynamic. I was born in Croatia but moved to Australia when I was 9, my husband is monolingual Australian. While we're lucky to have my immediate family close, I'm not 100% fluent in Croatian, there is so much English around us, and it is not easy to find resources in our language. I loved creating a language plan that feels totally personalized for us and I feel so much more confident in our approach. As a bonus, the entire process also really made me reflect on my own journey with bilingualism. I think now I have a much greater appreciation for all parents who raise bilingual children under less than ideal circumstances and more compassion for those who don't - so much more goes into it than I ever considered!
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