What language/s did you teach (do you plan on teaching) your children?

[Akya]

I'm still not married yet (or engaged) but I'm currently serious with my boyfriend. We have discussed kids a few times and we both say we want to raise our kids from a young age in several languages. His native language (Italian), my native language (English) and my second language (Japanese)! It'll definitely be hard but I guess kids books and kids shows are going to be our main resource. Also word games etc...

[sayitwell]

Probably just English.  I feel like it was sort of a waste of time to learn French.  I rarely use it.  I don't plan on putting my kids into the public school system.  If I have any, I'll teach them at home.  If they really want to learn a language then I would teach them Spanish because it has more utility in 2013.

[Daedalus]

I am Dutch. My girlfriend is English. There's always the possibility of us going to live in the Netherlands, so I hope I can teach my children both English and Dutch.

[leahcim132]

Probably just English. One of the most used language in the world and it doesn't hurt to teach your children.

[polybus]

I am expecting a child soon and I have been thinking about this a lot. I am very interested in languages and can speak a few of them well enough, but my native language is English and so is my wife's.

I would love to teach my child a language, but I am wondering if this is realistic or even possible given that everyone in the child's life will be English speaking.

For now we have settled on exposing our child to different languages and nurture any interests they might have. Forcing them to learn a language somewhat artificially might be even worse.

[cinderr]

I think kids who learn more than one language at home are to be envied. They speak it and learn the intricacies of conversation of each language. It's easier for them.

When we lived in Germany, our girls were in the 3rd and 5th grade. I wanted to plunk them into a German school. It would have been hard to begin with but within six months, I figured they would be fluent (or nearly fluent). These are smart girls. But the ex husband refused to go with that plan; he wanted them in the Army school on base.

I was disappointed but the military school was an adventure, as well. We went on some amazing field trips, as you can imagine. I went on every one! Saw Europe on a shoestring (there's an idiom).

[Trellum]

I'm still not married yet (or engaged) but I'm currently serious with my boyfriend. We have discussed kids a few times and we both say we want to raise our kids from a young age in several languages. His native language (Italian), my native language (English) and my second language (Japanese)! It'll definitely be hard but I guess kids books and kids shows are going to be our main resource. Also word games etc...

The situation you described is the same one for me   Me and my boyfriend aren't engaged, but we have talked about children a lot and a life together.  If we do get married, we will be living in the Netherlands, so my children will have to learn dutch, but I'd also like to teach them some english and spanish.  I'll start teaching them both languages very early on   I'm sure that by when they're teenagers, they'll be speaking english and spanish fluently.

[rgaz83]

I'm nowhere near having children, and I'm not sure if I ever will. But if I did, I'd certainly want to teach them more than just English. For a variety of reasons, I'd probably want them to learn Mandarin and Spanish. Other languages would come later.

[Guest chives152]

I am planning on teaching my children as many languages as I can as early as they can learn them. I know that if they are around multiple languages as a child, they learn them really easily. I had a friend that spoke 5 languages because she went to an immersion school, had a bilingual babysitter, and had parents that spoke 3 languages.

I will do this because it will make life easier for my child. It is great to be multi-lingual because a lot of international companies will hire you as a translator, or ambassador.

[Adobo]

I could only teach my kids-to-be what I know but other than what I know (Tagalog and English), I would like them to learn at least one Asian and one European language. That will open more opportunities for them to go to other countries, explore and understand other cultures, and meet, befriend and exchange knowledge with other nationalities.

[Jellyfish]

Well, first thing to say is that I don't plan to have any children. But I would like them to be able to speak English, French, Spanish and Russian.

[resilientsage29]

Being a Filipino, I find our language very flexible whichever feelings you want to express. you can be sweet or mad just removing some words in your sentence. my kids should first learn this wonderful language before anything else. Filipino is also very expressive when it comes to respect and endearment. My kids would probably show more respect and love when using their native tongue.

[Beverly]

I was a teacher since I was in fifth grade where I taught little kids how to write alphabets to how to be able to construct sentences. When I was in Senior High,I started tutoring English language and god paid for it. I didn't start teaching in courses and school until I was in college.

I'd tell all mothers or future parents who plan to teach your kids several language that it's actually EASIER for kids to learn more than one language instead of just one language so you guys are on a good track! That's how I learnt one of my Chinese dialect. My uncle married a woman who spoke different Chinese dialect and they lived in an area where 90 percent of the population were speaking that language so, every time my cousin came to visit me, she'd try to talk to me with her language.She'd point to me what it meant and I picked up the language from my parents as well. I speak that dialect fluently by the time I was in 6th grade. I was juggling between 3 languages every day since I was little and I never had a problem with it.

I don't plan to have children but I taught my niece English whenever I get a chance to see her.

[Hardison]

I don't have kids or plan on having any. If I did have kids, I would teach them many languages especially Spanish and Mandarin. I believe all American should be at least bilingual.

I do have a young niece and I have been encouraging her to learn Spanish. We watch a lot of Spanish TV.

[DiesIrae]

I've been thinking about this too ever since I got engaged. My fiance is American and he hasn't learned any other second language. Living in America, our kids will certainly learn English as their first language but I want to also teach them Tagalog although I don't know how successful I'd be with that.

[drpiggledy]

I've got two kids. I speak Dutch to them (my native language), my husband his native English. Once they go to school they'll also learn Irish from primary level.

My eldest, at 18 months, is just starting to talk. She uses a mixture of Dutch and English words. For example, she will say 'hap', the Dutch for bite, when she wants food, but 'juice' when she wants a drink. Her doll is the Dutch pop, but on her feet she wants shoes. She also uses a few words that sound mostly the same in both languages, such as book.

I find this fascinating. It's like she doesn't even realise that mammy and daddy speak two different languages. It does make it difficult for her Irish family to understand what she is saying sometimes though, and she does seem confused at times that she can't get her perfectly clear message across to those who don't speak Dutch (pretty much any on in her life aside from myself!).

[ashwinr1]

I would want them to master my regional language first followed by English since it is the accepted business language in India. Besides, I would want him/her to learn Hindi since most people in India speak Hindi. Also I would want them to learn at least one foreign language of their choice!

[queenbecka]

My kids are currently learning Ukrainian and Spanish. We speak American English fluently.

They are ages 3, 5 and 7. They started learning both (well, all three LOL ) languages as babies.

Since I am not a fluent speaker and either is anyone we interact with, though, we are ruled by the American language and that is what my kids think and write in.

I don't plan on having them learn anything else, but if they want to, I am all for letting them learn which ever language they connect with.

[mareebaybay]

I plan on teaching my children, my native language. My native language is English, which will be there first language learned by default. After teaching them english I may try to have them learn some harder more difficult languages such as Spanish.

[writeletters]

I guess it will depend on the father of the child. The child's first language will most likely be English as that will be everybody's common language. Beyond that I'd like to teach them my mother tongue, Bengali. Then I guess it would be up to the other parent and me to decide whether we wanted them to learn four other languages.

[Twisted Fairytale]

I have always thought of this. Personally, I wish I was taught another language while I was young. Because I'm learning French, I'll probably teach my kid French. I have a good feeling we will be living overseas where it will come in handy.

I'm not sure about how my girlfriend will feel about that though. She currently is studying Spanish, so she probably has another idea in mind.  :grin:

[Lela J. Skeen]

The best time to teach your child a second language is the same time she's learning her first one.

Perhaps just English.  I feel like it was sort of a waste of time to learn others. I hardly ever use it.  I don't plan on putting my kids into the public school system.  If I have any, I'll teach them at home by myself.  If they really want to learn a language then I would teach them Japanese because it has more utility in 2013.

[Qub1]

I'm not engaged or married or anywhere near that, I'm only 18, but I do know what I would like to learn my children once I have them. I think I would simply learn them my native language, but English as well. English is very important in the world and I think that in order to really be able to show your potential to the world you should be able to speak English. Also I think I would help my children learn the languages they have to learn for school. Not that I would want them to be fluent in them or anything, but just enough so they can get good grades, because I for one have been struggling with learning the languages we have to learn for school so I'm going to do the best I can to help my children through that.

[xxxxxx]

The first language I plan to teach to my children is first Tagalog which is my native language, then English which is the universal language then Hangeul the native language of my Korean husband

[Baburra]

English is practically standard here, so it would be almost impossible not to teach my kids the language when the time comes. I think I'd still make an effort though, if we were living in another country where English wasn't taught, not really for any particular reason other than I'm already so used to it and it would feel like the natural thing to do.