RAISING BILINGUAL CHILDREN - 5 YEARS LATER | Living Abroad Diaries | Ysis Lorenna

My name is Ysis Lorenna, I'm bilingual in Portuguese and English and my husband is monolingual in English. In this video I'm giving an update on our journey through raising bilingual children, 5 years later. This journey hasn't been what I thought it would be and I have decided to change my approach to bilingualism. Please share your experiences with raising bilingual children in the comments below.
More videos about raising bilingual children:
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• TIPS FOR RAISING BILIN...
Bilingual Struggles
• 12 STRUGGLES OF BEING ...
The Truth About Raising Bilingual Children
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Hi, I'm Ysis, Brazilian in the Wales, UK. I'm a full-time working mum of two, creator of the Mindful Motherhood movement, the perfect place for parenting + deep chats. I post videos about intentional parenting, living abroad, learning the English language, beauty and lifestyle.
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My KZbin series Mindful Motherhood offers parents a positive place to pause and reflect more deeply on parenting, learn techniques and share personal experiences of how to return to the now and be present as a mum by letting go of the overwhelming, multitasking, always busy ideal way of living in today's society.
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[@GBU61]

My ex wife was Latina so she spoke only Spanish to our daughter, but stopped. I spoke English. You will regret not speaking Portuguese because I see the opportunity was wasted with my daughter and now she is limited Spanish speaker. The other issue is she can not communicate with her Spanish-speaking side, due to her mother not teaching her. My daughter has a 20 month old with a Mexican. He speaks only Spanish to her and my daughter speaks only English. My daughter is resentful to this day that her mother did not speak Spanish to her and will not make the same mistake.

[@amalabdurrahman494]

Take them to Brazil in summer holidays, they will learn it in no time.

[@Whatsjonosaying]

على حسابك؟

[@TheGoodVillagers]

I'm raising bilingual children, too and it's not easy! So thanks for sharing your struggles with us. It helps.

[@YsisLorenna]

My pleasure. I always feel reassured when I share my struggles with bilingualism for my children :)

[@ramonabaitan2257]

It's never to late if you still want to. My daughter is 6, and for 5 years we spoke both of us only our native language. Last year she started school in english, and when the school closed, I decided to switch and speak with her only in English. When they wanted to say something and didn't knew how to express herself, I told her she can tell me in our native language, and I told her how to say it in English. Now even if I tell her something in our native language, she still responds in English. So dont loose hope, you can always teach them, it's harder a bit, but kids learn fast.

[@Improvemypronunciation]

It is harder and I struggle with this with my 9 y/o. We started a year ago. I can see progress though.

[@AlinaGhost]

Clever! I like that you help translate as I sometimes tend to do both languages so everyone around me understands and not just for my son.

[@Yunglou3000]

My little cousin barely spoke spanish and her mom married a mexican when the girl was about 11 and now she is fully bilingual with great pronunciation. Its never too late.

[@prilalli]

Do your kids watch cartoons in Portuguese? We're in a different situation, both parents Brazilian and we live in the US, so it's a lot easier for my kids to learn Portuguese. But I have noticed that the kids learn SO MUCH from cartoons. We've been quarantined since March, so very little exposure to English because we speak only Portuguese at home. But I notice their English vocabulary and speaking in general continuing to improve! And they've been getting it all from cartoons and games!

[@samanthasiqueira2587]

Tem o canal da Rosa Filipovic no KZbin. Ela tem duas filhas e ensina alemão e português pra elas. No começo foi difícil e a mais velha não falava português mas agora tá falando uma gracinha. Ela é educadora na Alemanha e pode te dar algumas ideias. O que importa mesmo é que seus filhos são lindos e saudáveis ❤

[@aliciaguess7476]

Thank you for sharing. This is 100% relatable. I thought raising my son's in a bilingual home would be so much easier than it really is. So thankful for your insight and vulnerability.

[@makeupyourmind2019]

I'm in the same situations as you. I'm the only one who speaks Italian and I have no relatives near me who speak Italian either, but for me (like you said) it was very easy to just speak Italian to my children from the very beginning. I made the choice to never use English while talking to them, so I just constantly switch if there are other people around as well. I buy books in Italian whenever I go to Italy, or I have my father send them to me, there are a lot of shows and cartoons on KZbin as well, so my 3yo twins at the moment (who knows how long it will last!) speak Italian way better than English. I find the 9 hours difference is also easy when it comes to Facetiming friends and family. It's interesting to me to hear how other bilingual families make it work!

[@Sakeandpurpose]

bilingual child here, My dad is french, grew up in france mum is scottish. Mum always spoke in english to us three, we didn't catch up on actively speaking ever. Dad wasn't lets say opposed but definitly didn't help to really encourage the vibes there. My individual situation aside like I said dad wasn't opposed to it. So we had vacations in scotland to see family twice a year. In Paris my mum brought us to this anglophone group of friends, ( intimate friends) they all had at least a parent from australia, canada or ,america, england. So let's not speak on the situations concerning when two parents are issued from english speaking countries. But simply in our case. Your case and mine. in this group out of all the kids who had one parent all growing up in france, visiting family in england, more frequently than I and my brothers.. even going two months streaks in england spending the entire summer there. All those kids grew up being passively bilingual as surprising as it may sound. meaning none of us never reached a fluent stage of speaking. And probably most likely will never get there. But there is one anomaly, yes there was actually one case out of 6 of us. One case where rapidly parents reckoned and saw the mathew from australias little girls, quickly catching up to be at first those two girls who didn't speak english and had our mediant level, the level of the group, for an ever solved problem of having effortlessly, anchered in the english natural skills of a native at a very young age. So for many people I hear saying, MOTHER tong, because more likely transmited from the mother than the dad, which is true. the dogmatic saying that men are lazy, maybe true, maybe not. In any case in my case it's faulse. Let me reveal you the secret. What mathew did was only one thing. Or maybe two. Resilience and persistence He very early started pretending he didn't understand french , crafty man, the follow case resulted in the girls getting frustrated to not be able to catch on speaking with their own dad. Guess what at this level your brain even as a very young child will be under three years from I guess 4 to 7 years, understanding it's a question of life and death to speak and keep up. The brain will figure it out if you keep persistent and you apply resilience of maybe saying. There is no way my child is not learning proper portuguese. Only with a big ego you'll get somewhere. I'm sorry people but yes you have to trick your kid to feel as if it's a question of life or death for them to learn. ( It's just illustrative) Just hold on those 3 years encouraging them to say, Agua, aqui, pae, por favor para de levar pra brincadeira tudo... Tou zoando.. but you get the picture, it's quickly going to catch up with themselves. Only those who trick their kids in "obliging" them causing them to feel a bit of panick will see fruits. Now stop making your case different. You just didn't have the mindset to start. If i get kids. I'll make no mistake. I don't want them crying onto my shoulder ruminating knowing very well what are the finest things in life. One is knowing without trying languages. And many other but that's a base. Your choice is very honorable and only you know what's best for your thing. But I implore you, te rogo.. did you underestimate the effort or the pressure it would be ? God bless you

[@c_wanderluster]

This is my experience as an adult who learned Spanish as a kid: I was born in romania and lived there my first 12 years. In my case, in the house we spoke romanian and that's my first language. But as a kid I used to watch telenovelas with my grandmother and the telenovelas were in Spanish and they had subtitles! My grandma used to read the subtitles in romanian while I was listening the actors speaking Spanish too. I don't remember if I was able to read the subtitles. Anyway my point is that around 10 years old or maybe I was younger than that, I was aware of the fact that I could understand very well Spanish and I didn't need the subtitles anymore! I don't know how the learning process happened but I learned Spanish and now as an almost 30 years old adult I don't have any problems reading books in Spanish or watch something in Spanish! As for the speaking, I observed that for example in Spain it was quiet easy to orally speak with other people in Spanish, although writing in Spanish is easier when I speak to others!

[@AlinaGhost]

This is so cool! I feel that practice, both speaking and watching TV is a must. I’ve heard so many people say they learnt English from programs like ‘friends’ even haha

[@roselane8152]

It's a good topic to explore, I always have been awe by the fact of people out there being able to learn with more than one linguage at home. As your husband learning Portuguese will be more easy to you to manage, and introducing others entertainments as cartoons, audiobooks, music that they like would be a good step towards your goal. Good luck from Brazil ☺️🤞

[@16december]

I have been waiting for this!!

[@ritasanches3970]

Obrigada Ysis! Eu vivo em Londres e falo em Portugues e Ingles com o meu filho mas ele responde sempre em Ingles hehe. Acho que as pessoas muitas vezes nao percebem o quao dificil é ensinar duas linguas quando se mora fora do país. It takes a lot of work and dedication! But please don't ever feel guilty. You're a beautiful mama xx

[@nba123ize]

Meu sonho de princesa é ter um sotaque tao perfeito como o seu 😍 E vc está muito certa, vc sabe melhor que qualquer um, o que funciona ou não pra sua família. Não se permita ser cobrada por isso 💆🏻‍♀️

[@aslack6624]

I can relate so much to this. I am in a very similar situation. Thank you for addressing it 💛

[@cesaravalost7247]

Easiest, fastest way for your kids to learn is watchin cartoons in Portuguese (or whatever second language you’re trying to teach; second best is music (Galinha Pintadinha, Jacarelvis etc. For Brazilian Portuguese). One parent speaks to them in English and the second in Portuguese-the first several months this will be challenging for the parent; you have to catch yourself when you’re speaking in English. Read to the kids and write vocabulary daily...2-3 words per day add up quick!

[@BairnandaBackpack]

So interesting to hear! It is actually working really well for us and my little guy speaks and understands both languages 50/50. My son is two, my husband is German and we live in Scotland. I think the major thing we have on our side is that I speak German well too. I just learned through being in Germany and from my husband but I am generally good with language. I never feel left out and my husband can happily speak German at home all of the time. My little one also hears me speak German when we are there. It is definitely still a challenge and we will have lots to overcome in the future. You are so right, do what works for you and be flexible in your approach!

[@juliarcalle]

Thank you so much for sharing!!!! I have a situation which has similarities to yours. It is good to hear your perspective!!

[@xporkrind]

We just moved to Japan and my daughter speaks English and Japanese. So I am still drawing inspiration from your videos many years later. Love your videos and appreciate your honesty. I am very worried about my daughter falling behind on her English skills. So I am trying to think of ways to promote her English learning.

[@16december]

Thank you so much for sharing Ysis!! I wish i can just chat with you because I am in the same situation as yours and i completely relate to all the things you meantioned❤️

[@christines3694]

I looove such vids🤩 Thank you😊

[@alexbraz4255]

I am huge fan of your work. Your videos are fantastic. Hugs from Brazil

[@AlinaGhost]

It definitely isn’t easy! Well done for trying though. I am lucky my sister is also trying her hardest to raise her girls bilingual so we’re both telling them to speak Russian when we are together! Subscribed as a fellow bilingual family 😊

[@MrMrs.Hernandez]

Thank you for sharing your video, I know raising bilingual children is very difficult. It really has to be intentional and inconsistent. Being in a country where the language is the minority can make it difficult. I would just encourage you to only speak Portuguese with them. If you have to speak to somebody else in English do so but I always refer to your children in Portuguese. Don’t be discourage of where you are now just keep pushing forward.

[@sophieesvn1300]

Exact same situation here; like you, I didn't realised how difficult it would be to speak my native language (French) to my children, being alone and surrounded only by English speakers. You constantly have to switch back, not to mentionned that you have to speak English with your children (despite that you want to avoid it) for your partner to understand the situation/conversation. Basically the only time I can speak French to my baby is when I am alone, and I have been fortunately enough to spend lots of time with him since birth, but I don't know how it will turn out (baby is under 1yo). It will be easier if we move to France so they will be immersed by French, and we -as a family- could use the the monolingual parent language at home for everyone to understand :)

[@anitaupsidedown7875]

Well done! Keep working hard. 💪🏽 Speaking more than one language is especially useful in life, not only to communicate with people from different places worldwide but also to learn about their cultures and traditions and see the world with different eyes.😉

[@PLopez-bs5xs]

I am in the exact same position as you -a few years ago-. Raising a baby, wanting them to be bilingual and but I'm the only bilingual at home as husband only speaks English and all my family are far away... is not an easy task, and what you mention of swapping language switch continuously is not easy, and is EXHAUSTING! I do hope I'll manage (both as a tool for my folks who don't speak English, and as a tool for the little one to have in the future), but sometimes we need to revise expectations and try to kick the guilt away... Best of luck!

[@thelearner761]

Gorgeous look Ysis!!

[@YsisLorenna]

Thank you! :)

[@tianalo6512]

My husband is Peruvian and speaks Spanish. I am Jamaican American and speak English. We live in USA and I planned on our kids being bilingual but i am a stay at home mom and with the kids all the time so they hear English all the time. His family only speaks Spanish so now there is a lot of pressure and comments about why they don’t speak Spanish. I wish he would speak it to them but it doesn’t come out naturally for him when he talks to them, even though it is his first language. Definitely a complicated situation but I think if you want to teach them bad enough it can happen. In our case i just think he needs to make more of an effort.

[@Improvemypronunciation]

Awe man, yes that’s difficult. It definitely takes a lot of Will power to teach a second language to my kids. Lol I’m not going to lie. I must be intentional otherwise it won’t happen. In the beginning it was super stress unto teach both languages but now I don’t put as much pressure on myself and just take it one day at a time.

[@reynapr4574]

I don’t know if your husband does but have your husband when he’s home only speak Spanish to your kids maybe that will help. And since you kid knows English well try to speak as much Spanish as you know to him. Have him watch TV in Spanish. On your phone or something play kid videos in Spanish for him that would help. Maybe he needs more input to perfect his output. Try putting on Spanish songs and he will start singing along to them eventually encouraging him to speak it more

[@robincabellovida7886]

I would be happy give you suggestions i speak only spanish and my husband speak only English to 12 month old and 2 year old

[@mmercer93]

I agree 100%. You need to do what works for your family. It totally makes sense to me how it would be difficult for you to randomly switch to Portuguese in your home when it doesn’t come naturally. Raising bilingual children has always been more natural in our home but our circumstances are quite different. We live in France and I am Canadian. Even before children, I spoke English to my husband and he spoke French to me. That has continued so in our house, our kids have heard and experienced everyday conversations in both languages. I think your husband learning to understand Portuguese will be a big help. Your kids are happy and healthy and that’s what matters.

[@ilariandre_]

I love your honesty!! I'm Italian living in Italy, my husband as well.. nobody around us speaks English, but I would like to introduce English to my kid at some point. She's 19 month old but since my English, especially my accent, isn't that good, I'm discouraged.. I hope to find a way to do it..

[@blackcurrant87]

Join "Bambini italiani nel mondo - language families" on Facebook, maybe they have tips on getting started.

[@robincabellovida7886]

My friend from Italy .has 2 year old speaks only english and spanish to her son , and the son speaks and understands English, you should try it

[@aretha9630]

Dear Ysis, you are not alone. I am having the same situation. Being the only Braziliam member of the family who barely speaks Portuguese because I am surrounded by the English environment. On the top of that, I am a translator and for years I thought that it would be easy and would also be a matter of honor. I have decided to allow them to speak when they want and let everything flows in a natural way...xx

[@turisteandoentexas]

Love your channel! Keep in touch, definedly subscribed!

[@twinklefarm]

I have the exact same problem! Thank you for sharing! ❤

[@amyameliaberge4051]

Thank you for sharing!

[@kellynegomes2124]

Conteúdo excelente para quando eu for mãe .❤️

[@andremendonca8017]

Eu e minha esposa moramos na Austrália e antes da nossa princesa nascer nos notamos que os filhos das brasileiros q conheciamos só falavam inglês com os pais, alguns até entendiam o português mas não falavam. Então decidimos que só falariamos português com nossa filha, pois o ingles viria naturalmente. Hoje ela esta com 2,5 anos e fala tudo em português e algumas palavras em inglês que ela aprende no day care. Por enquanto o plano esta funcionando.

[@mariavalles-avon2410]

My daughter doesn’t speak Spanish and I’m fluent. Unfortunately while Spanish was my primary language I think in English and it is now my primary language. I wish I had done more to spark the language with my daughter. My son speaks it because my mother helped me with him and he spent a lot of time with her.

[@natalalaa]

I can totally relate to your situation. I am also not motivated enough to push though raising bilingual children. My family lives just too far and we see them too seldom to be able to push harder my native tongue at home. Thanks for being honest :)

[@nazia0401]

I feel the same. Our situation is a bit different. Czech husband, French speaking wife, living in Czech Republic. We communicate in English with each other when together but each speak our native tongue when alone with our daughter. One parent one language just did not feel right to me because then, the other parent cannot understand what is going on. We will see what comes out of it. My daughter is 2.5 years old and she speaks a bit of each language. We are thinking about getting a French speaking nanny for a few hours a week once the lockdown is over.

[@raymondporter2094]

Your English is certainly up to "well educated native speaker level". It is probably rather better than a singificant proportion of the native population. Are you a language teacher or translator?

[@Butterposa2]

I think it's a matter of how bad you want it to happen. I am referring to the wanting that is not like wishing in that it requires action. People have all types of decisions to weigh and balance and, ultimately, make. If it is not happening in your household, it is not wanted bad enough, and that's okay. Something else weighs more.

[@jobacurini9744]

I know is hard but you must keep speaking in portuguese to your kids. Watch portuguese movoes or shows for children in portuguese. Play music and sing songs with them in your native tongue. Travel to Brasil and hopefully they can make friends of their same age so they will have more reasons to embrace the language. My niece is 4 and almost fully bilingual in spanish and english cause his dad only speaks to her in spanish. They live in the Usa in an area where spanish very little used. My brother, mi niece's dad was determined to only used Spanish with her since she was 6 months and it worked out!!

[@andreamarruzzo3305]

Hi. Be bilingual is really a worth thing. I just can say you can do it if you truly want it dear. Never too late.

[@dalebarton2186]

Hi great channel loving it.I'm an Englishman who tried to retire to live in Spain.i say tried because i ended up with a part time job,which led to full time ,then went on to buying the company i worked for! having decided that buying the company was forming roots in Spain not speaking Spanish,but wanting the step children to have a good education age 3 and 5 enrolled them into a local Spanish school although teacher spoke " a little" English Spanish language was the main language used the local area was mostly ex pats like myself most common language spoken was English local shops,bars,supermarkets etc all spoke English. practicing to learn Spanish was a challenge the suppliers to my business spoke Spanish only so i acquired enough Spanish to order stock be polite pay bills and in exchange for helping the kids with homework English,math etc they would teach me Spanish.we would sing songs in both languages at home.the kids loved having both Spanish Christmas day and English Christmas day our next door neighbor only spoke Spanish so the kids would act as translators maybe found their vocation they now have a circle of Spanish friends.due to ill health I've been forced back to uk via wales(just by Cardiff lol) to presently Bournemouth.ironically enough met more Spanish/Portuguese speakers here than 10 years of living in Spain.even Brazilian people living here so maybe that might be of interest to you?

[@LittleAngelReader]

Hi Ysis Lorenna! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and struggles. A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video on my channel (Little Angel Reader) called "Why are my Russian children fluent in English?" where I share my "secrets". I am sure you will love watching it and I hope it will inspire you not to lose hope but continue in teaching your kids both languages. I know it's difficult but it can be fun, too. My children are 18 and 7 years old and they speak Russian and English fluently. You can see them n my video as well as in other educational videos for English learners on Little Angel Reader. :) So keep up the good work and let's be friends! :) Thank you for your videos! :) BTW, you can make videos of you teaching your kids Portuguese - it will motivate you to teach them and it will be a good memory for them :) Besides, these videos can be watched by Portuguese children learning English (just thinking outloud here) :) Looking forward to seeing your comment under my video "Why are my Russian children fluent in English?" :)

[@welshnathanwales]

Still learning spanish, portuguese is deffo on my list, that and italian 😍😍😍

[@2007jenni]

I live in the USA.. Español is my first language..but here you have to learn Spanish in different ways..now I speak English I would say moderate but my three kids speak English..they only speak Spanish with my mom and my husband..

[@aldozilli1293]

We live in the UK but me and my wife only ever speak Spanish at home and with the kids, as I'm fluent and for my wife its her native language. They can learn English at school, it has meant they have been a bit behind the other kids but they are catching up and completely bilingual.

[@TinaMartinez97]

I am in a very similar situation. I am from Austria, living in the US, my husband only speaks English and all of my family is in Austria. I am pregnant with our first and was wondering how to raise them bilingual

[@fernandaprandi7813]

Eu vivo uma situação semelhante à sua, moro na NZ e meu marido é kiwi. Tenho uma filha pequenininha e estou grávida do meu menino. Falo com meu marido em inglês e a vida ao meu redor é em inglês, portanto falo inglês perto dela. Porém, quando estou me dirigindo a ela, falando diretamente com ela, é em português. Às vezes traduzo logo em seguida pra o meu marido, mas nem sempre. E vejo q ele tem mostrado bastante interesse no português e está entendendo cada vez mais, além de fazer duolingo tbm. Além disso eu só coloco músicas em português pra ela e leio os livrinhos (mesmo os em inglês) em português. Leio traduzido. Às vezes é mais fácil falar em inglês já q é a língua das pessoas ao redor, muitas vezes na mesma conversa, mas criar filhos bilíngues é trabalhoso mesmo e envolve comprometimento e consistência.

[@JessieArmy]

My father is Brazilian and I lived there as a child. His side of the family is mostly bilingual (and some are actually trilingual) so I rarely speak Portuguese. My 9 year old doesn't speak it either. I am too lazy to teach her. I am 35 and I haven't been to Brazil since I was 18 so I don't see the point lol. Maybe she will want to learn when she is older and that's up to her.

[@debbiesayers4631]

Lovely family can u do a which are your favourite books u like reading i can understand your language which is very clear

[@amandahenderson6145]

Muito bem ❤

[@welshnathanwales]

Your not from Brazil, your welsh accent is too perfect aha how long have you been in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇧🇷

[@matheuscorsino3644]

Is her accent Welsh? Because it's beautiful.

[@camilafernandes4342]

Agreed, she doesnt speak with a shade of brazilian accent at all lol

[@salexa171]

Out situation is a little different than yours. I’m trying to get all the info I can, so thanks for your video. I’m a Scotsman learning Norwegian in Norway (slowly I mite add). Our 9 month old starts baby school in September so will be speaking Norwegian exclusively there. My partner and I speak English to each other and although he’s still too young to understand most things we speak both languages to him. Looking for some tips, things that have worked and things that haven’t.

[@ngotri1995]

Hi i am Vietnamese n i am raising s kid billingually too. how can we get over the awkwardness talking to the kid??

[@selmamendonca2702]

Could you already speak English before moving to England? If not, how long did it take you to learn English?

[@YsisLorenna]

I did, yes. I became properly fluent when I moved here, but I already had a good level of English beforehand.

[@AlinaGhost]

As someone who moved to UK when I was 8 from Russia/Israel (long story) it took me years to learn English and then to lose my accent. They say it’s easier when you’re younger so the older you get the longer it takes I think!

[@kisscompartilhar2848]

I just watched all your vídeos about this subject, its amazing how your english is good. I also struggle raising my boy 3 years old and 3 months trilingual since my husband is israeli and has no family speaking hebrew here, i choose to speak portuguese (i am brazilian) with my son however me and my husband speak only in english between us. My son does not Study in bilíngual school. I through it would be easier however now he is showing progress, i Will share some tips in a vídeo in my Chanel soon but my biggest tip for you is continue with the songs on the Shower and reading books even through lookslike he looks the pictures, he Will eventually understand even if he answers you in english. If you can play any fun game in portuguese like batata quente or play soccer only talking in portuguese is good.

[@kisscompartilhar2848]

I dont speak hebrew i just know some words and sentences.

[@naysantanna]

Menina, se as pessoas soubessem como é difícil… eu sou stay at home mom e meu marido trabalha de casa. Não tem jeito, eu falo inglês o tempo todo 😥. Eu também levo muito a sério a vidinha social dele e é tudo em inglês. A comunidade brasileira aqui é pequena e até hoje não conheço nenhuma criança brasileira que fala português. Eu falo com meu filho só em português, leio todos os dias, ouvimos muita música mas a preferência dele pelo inglês é grande. Eu preciso de um esforço enorme pra ensinar uma palavra enquanto o pai mostra a mesma flashcard duas vezes e ele já aprende. Eu percebo que ele entende melhor o português mas fala mais o inglês.

[@sisvic]

Thank you

[@fienevandijk7224]

Any thoughts on raising kids trilingually?

[@julianiquet]

Para sermos bem sucedidos na maratona que é criar filhos bilíngues, a gente precisa refletir sobre a nossa relação com o português enquanto imigrantes. Se é uma relação de orgulho ou vergonha. Lembro que você relatou que sentia vergonha de falar português na rua, acho que esse é o x da questão. Não é fácil.

[@YsisLorenna]

Eu tenho vergonha de falar uma língua que não a língua majoritária do local. Tenho muito orgulho de falar português, mas por ser tímida, sinto como se falar outra língua no meio de pessoas falando inglês chama muita atenção. Eu sei que nem todo mundo se sente assim, mas eu sei que pra mim é uma questão de timidez mesmo. 🙂

[@kessiapinheiro]

@@YsisLorenna Essa vergonha pode ter muito a ver com o ambiente. Morando na Inglaterra, talvez você não tenha tantos imigrantes falando línguas diferentes ao seu redor (realmente não conheço por aí). Eu moro no Canada e aqui é extremamente comum cada um estar falando a sua própria lingua entre seus amigos/família, seja pessoalmente ou por telefone e mudar automaticamente quando vão falar com estranhos ou pessoas que não falam a mesma língua. Aprendi a fazer esse switch (embora às vezes ainda saia umas travadas mentais) e com nossa bebê (18m) somente falamos portugues em casa (ambos brasileiros), mas no ambiente comunicamos em inglês com outras pessoas, mas sempre em portugues com ela, independente da outra pessoa entender ou não. Isso fez com que ela tenha um entendimento muito bom já com 18m e fale algumas palavras em portugues. Pelo fato de falarmos ingles com outras pessoas, ela agora começou a dizer Hi/Bye, embora eu sempre diga: fala oi pra fulano, ela vai e fala: hiiiiiii. Pra ela, oi = hi. Ela começou a daycare agora e ensinei lingua de sinais para ela (ASL, falando em portugues) e isso ajudou muito a ela se comunicar num ambiente 100% ingles, não teve problemas. Enfim, seu marido entender portugues ajudaria ainda mais, assim vc poderia falar mais e ele tb estaria praticando. Mas tente perder essa vergonha, não tem absolutamente nada do que se envergonhar. Uma vez no trabalho eu falei brincando que meu inglês era meia boca, meu chefe falou bem assim: se orgulhe do seu inglês e do portugues também, afinal vc é bilingue, é muito mais dificil dominar multiplos idiomas, do que quem domina apenas um deles a vida toda.

[@babybaby5893]

Ok I have my own humble opinions on this topic, it’s better to raise a bilingual kid as early as possible, I only speak Chinese to my now 4.5 yo son since he was born and my American husband only speaks English to him, my son can speaks two languages fluently without making any effects, my hubby travel around the world bec of his biz development job, he strongly supports our son speaking Chinese bec he worked in China for 7 years and still do biz with China. another important reason is to have strong family bond with my extended family though we live in US, my son talks in Chinese to my parent and my brother everyday on Facebook in Chinese, my son has brought so much joy to my extended family which is very very important for me and my son is the happiest kid. Happy spirit, I know when he goes to school , things will be different, but I am doing all I can to sustain and keep this bilingual habit for him , it will be very hard as you said. But the earlier your kids start to speak second language , the better, and the longer he speaks the second language, the better,

[@CarlsLingoKingdom]

Your husband doesn't speak Welsh? Are the children learning Welsh in school? I hope so! ;)

[@lbella4665]

How long have you been speaking English? It's easier to speak a language that we use everyday....

[@ktdoty9921]

Well if you just want the "mental benefits" of bilingualism I think in Wales there are a lot of Welsh medium schools

[@KrisHughes]

I notice that you never mention the Welsh language...

[@axeller4209]

I'm sorry you didn't get comfortable enough to speak your own language to your children. On my first child it was a lot of effort to actually switch to French on maternity leave. specially when mmh you feel like it's useless because it's a baby so it doesn't understand. But on the second maternity leave, I spoke only my language at home. Specially when my husband was at work. And what changed in between these 2 maternity leave that made it easier to speak my language at home : working in my own language for 2 years while still living in the UK + starting my youtube channel in my language. I sort of had to reappropriate my language. And I insist on changing the language on netflix + listening almost only French channels on KZbin. Etc etc. Dunno if it can help. (Without having family or friends to talk to in French around). And back to an English speaking job now. But It's fine as I got the habit now of speaking French to my children. They don't really answer in French but they perfectly understand (1yo and 3yo)

[@emilymerriman-rex965]

It is about only having one typ of opinion inn the comments below

[@dragonofthewest8305]

You should have just had a routine of 20 minutes a day talking to your kids in Portuguese a little a amount of time is better than no amount of time

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

Tri-lingual? English, Portugese and Welsh...

[@knowledgehouse9204]

What a lovely face beautiful eyes beautiful smile ,you came from another world .you are most beautiful girl in the world. your videos put me in jubilant mood.