Ana L. Flores - Bilingual Is Better: Two Latina Moms on How the Bilingual Parenting Revolution is Changing the Face of America

ANA L. FLORES & ROXANA A. SOTO

TWO LATINA MOMS ON HOW THE
BILINGUAL PARENTING REVOLUTION IS CHANGING
THE FACE OF AMERICA

Copyright 2012 by Ana L. Flores & Roxana A. Soto

2012. Foreword by Jeannette Kaplun

2012. BILINGUAL READERS

Cover design by Ana Gmez Gil

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published in the United States by BILINGUAL READERS

www.bilingualreaders.com |www.bilingualreaders.es

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First Edition: September 2012

Also available as an e-book: 9788492968220

DL: M-24257-2012

To my husband, Jos, for believing in this project as much as me, and to Vanessa and Santiago, our two best creations. But mostly to mis padres, Miguel and Gloria, the original architects of my bilingual and bicultural journey.

ROXANA A. SOTO

To my mami for being responsible of my bilingualism (and so much more!). To my papi for my bicultural life. To Alan for his eternal patience, support and solid love. To my girl, por ser mi inspiracin y motivacin constante.

ANA L. FLORES

O FTEN WE DONT WANT TO BE LIKE OUR PARENTS. HOWEVER, THERE is one thing I want to do exactly like my parents did. They gave me the gift of being raised bilingual. I was born in Texas to Chilean parents and, once we moved to Chile when I was seven, I attended an American school. At home we always spoke the language that was not spoken primarily in school so we could keep the second language alive. It was challenging for my parents and for my brother and I. For my parents, English was not a native tongue and it wasnt easy to speak it fluently. For me, Spanish presented its own challenges, especially when I had to write it. I still remember the hours I spent with a tutor that first year in Chile so I could learn grammar and spelling. Ironically, most of my life I have made a living thanks to my Spanish writing skills.

During our summer vacations, we practiced our English thanks to yearly visits to the United States. There were no tablets, e-books, apps or websites, so we would actually spend a healthy dose of money on books and magazines which I took back to Chile and reread countless times over the year.

Now that I am a mother, I am doing everything I can to bestow the same gift my parents gave me upon my children. Since we proudly live in the United States, we predominately speak Spanish at home. It gets harder and harder each year, since my son and daughter prefer to speak English amongst themselves. This English dominance gets stronger the longer they spend in school, and the more friends they have. Once a year we try to travel as a family to Chile, so they can practice their Spanish and learn about different customs and cultures.

No matter how difficult it might seem at times, I believe this is a battle worth fighting. Even if I am sometimes so tired I dont want to answer in Spanish or make my children rephrase what they said in English. I not only want my children to learn Spanish; I want them to be truly bilingual and fluent in both languages and, hopefully, both cultures.

For reasons I cannot quite understand, many do not see speaking more than one language as an advantage. They actually see it as a threat. I can only see advantages. Speaking English and Spanish since I can remember has allowed me to grow in different countries, work in diverse environments, and expand the boundaries of the life I live.

Aside from the scientific advantages of being bilingual, which this books authors expose so well, I strongly believe in the social and cultural benefits of speaking more than one language.

Curiously, my parents did not do as their parents or grandparents had done. My great grandparents were Ukrainian and Romanian immigrants that ended up in South America, yet none of their descendants learned their native languages. They wanted their children to fit in. So in their new countries, Argentina and later Chile, Spanish was the language they all learned.

That mission, to fit in, was accomplished but at the cost of severing all ties to their country of origin. I remember when I was seven or eight I would go to my grandfather and beg him to teach me a few words in Russian (at that time, I did not understand the difference between Russia and Ukraine, both were simply part of the Soviet Union). I did not believe him when he said he did not know any.

Ive also seen this in some parts of the United States. Families that have Hispanic surnames but decided that if their children were to fit in this country, they needed to only speak English. Speaking even a word of Spanish could be grounds for punishment.

Today, for many, that is beyond comprehension because we like to believe we live in a more tolerant, sophisticated world. However, this is not necessarily true. In some cities, there is more tolerance for different accents, countries of origin and languages. In others, we still have a long way to go.

Personally, I cannot understand why we cant teach our children more languages aside from English. European children are exposed to different languages since theyre preschoolers and it is not uncommon for them to have mastered three, four or even more languages by the time they graduate high school. Their loyalty to their country of origin is never disputed. Their cultural identity is not in peril. So, why do some keep insisting we should not teach more languages to our children?

This book comes at the perfect time to open up the conversation about the type of education we want for our children, how we can educate them, how we intend to broaden our horizons even if it means an extra effort for us as parents. That is why the entire premise is that bilingual is better for our children.

In this book you will not only learn about the scientific evidence that supports the benefits of raising bilingual children. With her journalistic background, Roxana Soto is used to reporting the facts. When combined with Ana Lilian Flores bilingual upbringing and experience as a communicator, the perspective they share on bilingualism is enlightening. Plus, both of them are moms and have constantly interacted online through their website SpanglishBaby with a growing community of parents who want to raise their children to be able to combine both languages and not have to sacrifice one over the other.

To those who say its impossible, I am living proof that they are wrong.

I hope this book inspires you to support bilingual education. Or at least, it starts the conversation. Because even if you have not considered or have a negative view of teaching more than one language to your child, you will read about different points of view that will give you plenty of perspective on the debate.

And to Ana and Roxana, once again I thank you for honoring me with this foreword to your new baby. You are a constant inspiration not only to me but to thousands of parents all over the world.

JEANNETTE KAPLUN

Journalist, international TV co-host,
author, and co-founder of Todobeb