"It's Hard Work But It's So Worth It": Everything You Need To Know For Raising Bilingual Children

As a German native speaker who speaks English all day long, I find the prospect of bilingual parenting both daunting and fascinating. I have been looking for an expert on bilingual parenting, and here she is: Marianna du Bosq, host of the awesome Bilingual Avenue podcast, a show for parents who are raising bilingual children.

Marianna's incredible energy shines through and she's got SO many tips. I came away with so much more knowledge about what bilingual parenting is really like, and I'm convinced you will too.

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

In the interview, we'll talk about:

• How much work do you have to put in as the "one language" parent of a bilingual kid

• What agreements parents should set up with each other when they decide to do this

• What Marianna does when she needs to reconnect with her husband and tweak her daughter's language environment

• How to create a more immersive environment for children learning languages

• Whether you have to hire nannies and tutors and do all the expensive things to make this work

• How to overcome negative attitudes, and how to help a parent who feels left out when they don't understand their child

• How to learn a language along with your child

• What the school experience is like for Marianna's daughter who is in an English-speaking school

• What the most popular and effective bilingual parenting models are..and which ones are not the best ones to try

• Which episodes of Bilingual Avenue you should check out next (see below)

And most importantly, why raising a bilingual child is so worth the extra work and planning - Marianna makes a passionate case towards the end of our show so don't miss that.

I'd love to hear more about your own experiences of parenting in another language. Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter.

Please don't forget to rate & review this show in the Podcasts app and visit our awesome sponsor Speechling.

• Vocabulary and grammar tips for non-native speakers | Bilingual Avenue — My visit to Bilingual Avenue
• I am Germany on Twitter: "So, as I've been here for a while, and as I have children here, one of my issues is how to raise them bilingual/ teach them German." — Interesting twitter thread on this topic
• ‘We’re told we’re anti-Welsh bigots and fascists’ – the storm over Welsh-first schooling | Education | The Guardian
• Candyland Game — I did not know what this is.
• Bilingual 077: Managing the presence of multiple languages in a single mind with Dr. Giuli Dussias | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
• Bilingual Avenue 093: 15 helpful tools to help you and your child learn a language with Lindsay Dow | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
• Bilingual Avenue 101: Money saving tips for your next language trip with Lauren Lyons Cole | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
• Bilingual Avenue 147: Parenting Abroad with Jennifer Langkjaer | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
• Bilingual Avenue 017: Actionable Tips & Strategies to Enhance Language Development with Susanne Dopke | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand — This episode includes tips for play with bilingual kids
• Bilingual Avenue 004: Bilingual Benefits, Myths & Developmental Milestones with Dr. Brenda Gorman | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand — Can bilingualism cause speech delay?
• International education - International Baccalaureate®
• LangFest17: Bella and Yulia Devyatkina - Raising Bella in 8 languages - YouTube
• Women In Language — Women in Language 2018 - join us!
• The Fluent Show: How To Navigate Bilingual Love and Change Your Family Perspective