Dear parent,
These past few weeks, I've been sharing detailed guides about different language strategies. But today, I want to share with you a bit about my own biggest worries and current challenges that I am facing along the way.
You see, while I'm deeply committed to raising my daughters with multiple languages, I have my own anxieties about how things are going (and might go in the future).
I think it's important to share these fears with you – because this newsletter isn't written by someone who has it all figured out, or writing about the theory of how it all should be done.
I am going through exactly the same process as you are, reading up on what science says, talking to other parents dealing with the same issues, and questioning what we do and how it will impact our kids in the future.
What is on my mind
When my daughters were born, the language choices seemed obvious. Of course I would speak Polish, my husband English, and we'd navigate the Swiss German environment together.
But as time goes on, certain questions keep popping up...
The "Perfect Polish" Pressure
One thing that's been on my mind lately is how my daughters' language skills might evolve. While I know (in theory) that they don't need to speak Polish flawlessly, I catch myself worrying about my ability to support them fully.
How will I handle their inevitable language quirks without making them feel self-conscious?
Will I find the right balance between encouragement and letting things slide?
Will I feel frustrated seeing how her skills diverge from those of monolingual kids?
I don’t have answers for any of those questions but I am trying to check on myself how things are going. As far as I know now, the more time we invest in actively promoting language development through activities, making friends and regular reading time, the higher chances of success.
The Literacy Challenge Ahead
Supporting early language development felt somewhat natural – lots of talking, singing, playing. But now my older daughter is 4, and she's showing interest in reading and writing. How do we tackle literacy in both Polish and English without it feeling like extra homework?
Last week, I ordered a book about teaching reading in multiple languages (I'll share what I learn with you all!). But I'll admit, this next phase feels a bit daunting.
Those Tricky Polish Consonants
My 2-year-old seems comfortable juggling multiple languages, but she does struggle with Polish pronunciation — I mean, I can't blame her – saying "open" is definitely easier than "otwórz"!
She drops a lot of consonants, and while part of me thinks this is still normal at this stage, another part wonders if we should see a speech therapist. It's on my list to discuss with her doctor at our next visit.
The Mandarin Journey
Then there's our Mandarin journey.
While it's going well now, I sometimes lie awake wondering about the future. Maintaining Mandarin through school years will require serious commitment.
My hope is that being native in English will free up time other kids spend on English lessons. But Chinese, with its beautiful but complex writing system – that's a whole other level of challenge.
But it does feel like a worthwhile investment — chances are that in the future Chinese will become a huge advantage given their domination in sciences and strong economy. Plus, our love for traveling in China is only growing, so it only makes sense to see where this journey takes us.
But with time I think we will decide how much time per week are we willing to invest in that — it was easy when she was in nursery to get solid 8h a week, but now that kindergarten approaches, we will need to evaluate options to go forward.
Your turn…
📊 Quick Poll: What Keeps You Up? Which of these worries resonates most with your multilingual parenting journey?
💭 Reflections
What's your biggest "am I doing this right?" moment in your language journey?
How do you handle those moments of doubt?
What helps you stay confident in your choices?
I'd love to hear what's on your mind too. Sometimes just knowing we're not alone in our worries makes them feel more manageable.
Share the love
Enjoy what I share? Do you know anyone else who is on the same journey? Share the newsletter with them and help it grow.
Have any thoughts on this week’s topics? Join the discussion:
Until next week, Magda
P.S. If there are specific challenges you'd like me to explore in future newsletters, just hit me at multilingualfamilyplaybook@substack.com. Your questions often lead to our best discussions!