Expat Mama’s Golden Rules

For just a moment, take a walk in my globe-trotting shoes: a year ago, I arrived in Chicago with two young children who did not speak a lick of English. With a touch of trepidation, I decided to enroll my girls in a local school to immerse them in American culture and, of course, become fluent in English.

Fast forward 12 months later, and what do you think has happened? My kids have indeed soaked up all the Windy City has to offer and become my personal English consultants and translators. While I’m thrilled to watch them sing, play and chat in English, I lament how our mother tongue has less and less space in their daily lives. Since passing along my native language and culture is very important to me, I’ve instilled a few golden rules that all parents, regardless of origin, can relate to. Here they are!

Golden Rule #1: Speak only your mother tongue at home.

Be firm and create family incentives to ensure that everybody speaks in your mother tongue at home. In our family, when one of us uses an English word in a French sentence, s/he has to contribute 25 cents to a community pot. At the end of the month, we use the money for ice-cream at Bobtail or a cupcake at Molly’s. It’s hard on the kids’ wallets, but it really works!

Golden rule #2: Get them reading in their native language.

Encouraging reading in a native language is one of the most difficult tasks for an expat parent, mainly because it can be challenging to find books in your mother tongue. Thanks to Amazon.com, magazine subscriptions, and Chicago’s Europa Books, this mission is made simpler. You can also organize a reading club for children who speak the same language and have them circulate their selected books among families. Especially for pre-teens and teens, reading together can be a fun and social activity.

Golden rule #3: Get them to write in their mother tongue.

Together with your kids, sit down to compose a monthly newsletter or a write blog in your mother tongue. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to stay connected with friends and family all over the world.

Golden rule #4: Reverse immersion.

Going back “home” is often the best and the most effective solution to help your child maintain fluency in his/her mother tongue. And, of course, the grandparents are going to love it each time you step off the plane.

Remember the Fun!

However you choose to pass on your native language to your kids, remember this: make it fun.  The less stressful it is, the more eager they’ll be to get on board.  And someday, they may even thank you for bestowing upon them the gift of a second language. 

By Veronique Martin-Place

Veronique is a serial expat, mother and freelance writer. She has relocated three times to places all around the globe and has also experienced a move back “home” to France. Veronique currently lives in Chicago and blogs about life abroad at Expat Forever and on her own website, Writer Forever.