Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

On Life- (Linguistically-?) Changing Moments, David Bowie, Side Notes and Letting it Go & Flow

The title of this post is slightly misleading. This post is not really about (big) changes but I really like the David Bowie song and this beautiful video:

Side note: Life is always about changes so maybe not so misleading…
Side, side note: I once wrote about the David Bowie effect on hair styles!
Side, side, side note: I am currently looking at short hair styles (more on this in a future newsletter) and life comes full circle as I might have to draw on the Bowie effect with my own hair!

Gabriel Bassino for Unsplash. More Bowie effect!

This newsletter is however a version of something I wrote for media outlet about a moment that changed my (linguistic) life. It was a feature around the publication of Mother Tongue Tied but didn’t end up working in the end for the pub and yet, I think it’s still an important conversation and reminder for those of us raising multilingual children. Maybe, a little lesson for life in general: relinquish a bit of control, let things flow, accept things change all the time. I know you know but it is still hard. So, for today, bring it in to a doable bit of information and make it about multilingual parenting or about language and parenting in general. Start with one moment in the day where you do not feel the guilt of language input and exposure (or other parenting stuff), where you let the conversation flow in whatever way it is supposed with the kids, when you maybe let a bit of the dominant language in more than usual to give yourself a mental break. Language is dynamic. Caregiving is dynamic. Children are dynamic. You can only do so much and often, when you least expect it, your children will surprise you.

Charles Deluvio for Unsplash. The “shift” and “control” keys are so ominous when I see them this way! I would like “option” please.

A Moment that Changed Me:

I let go of my unfeasible expectations around raising multilingual children (after a brief encounter on the tube)

I knew I wanted my children to grow up multilingually like I did, but I had no idea how emotional and challenging it would be. Only when I released my grip on the self-imposed worry and pressure did all our languages begin to flow.

As I write this, I am in the throes of unimaginable colossal life-changing moments.