Knowing foreign languages has always been a big advantage. I don’t know about you, but I remember in my childhood when meeting new kids I was always so jealous if they knew foreign languages and not only their native one. They could speak with kids from abroad, understand different cartoons and so on! Even to this day, I wish I could speak more languages and I wish somebody in my childhood would have spoken with me in as many languages as possible!
Despite some languages being more widely spoken and maybe more ‘useful’, every language is unique and important, especially if it’s one of your parents’ native tongues.
More info: Reddit
Teaching a child more than one language is always a good idea
Image credits: Aleksandr Balandin (not the actual photo)
Woman asks if she is being a jerk for speaking in Polish with her child despite her boyfriend’s protests
Image credits: u/Lotsof_Rhubarb
Image credits: Gisele Seidel (not the actual photo)
She thought that in addition to the English language, it would be useful to teach the kid Polish as well
Image credits: u/Lotsof_Rhubarb
Image credits: Vera Arsic (not the actual photo)
However, her boyfriend instructed her to stop doing that as he doesn’t understand it and it’s ‘unfair’
Image credits: u/Lotsof_Rhubarb
The woman is upset that he doesn’t care about her native language, but she continues speaking with the child in it
Recently, a woman took her story to one of the most judgmental Reddit communities wondering if she is being a jerk by speaking with her child in her native language despite her boyfriend’s instructions to stop doing that. The post caught a lot of attention and in just 4 days it had almost 7K upvotes and 3.5K comments.
The woman starts her story by introducing that she and her boyfriend have a 1-year-old son and recently he said his first word, thus she thought that this is a great time to start teaching him Polish, which is OP's native language, in addition to English. So for a few days now, she has been speaking in Polish with him.
However, once her boyfriend noticed that, he asked OP to stop doing that as he can’t understand it, thus it would be unfair if she and their son could speak in a ‘secret’ language. Oh, and also, because according to him, the Polish language is useless. But luckily, despite that, she has been speaking with the child in it and shared that it’s hurtful that her boyfriend doesn’t care about her native language.
Community members decided that the woman was not being a jerk in this situation and it's her boyfriend’s problem that he doesn’t know Polish. “You don't need to convince him. Just keep teaching your child Polish. If he doesn't like it, he can try teaching the child another language as well,” one user wrote. “There's no downside for a kid to learn a new language, especially when they learn it from birth,” another added.
Image credits: Kaboompics.com (not the actual photo)
So it’s nothing extraordinary that knowing more than one language is very useful. However, you may be wondering why parents teach their kids a second language when they don’t yet even know their first one. According to Michigan State University, children's brains are especially well-suited to learning a second language between the ages of 0 and 3, when the brain is at its most flexible stage. In fact, babies that were exposed to two languages from the age of 6 months on excelled at recognizing a change in language.
Now, let’s talk about the benefits of teaching kids another language. Parents states that kids who are raised with at least 2 languages have greater social understanding. It boosts brain development, which means that they are better at planning, problem solving, concentration and multitasking. Moreover, studies have shown that bilingual children show faster progress when learning to read.
Moreover, Chalk academy lists a few of the best ways you can teach your kids another language. So the first is the same as the OP does - just start talking. The sooner the better, but it's never too late to start. Another way is through songs, audiobooks or some videos. And finally, you can do it through some fun activities, and of course, make another language visible in your home.
So, guys, it’s never too late to learn a new language; however, the earlier you start, the easier it will be!
Commenters backed the woman up and highlighted her boyfriend's red flag
