Just read to your child

With so much information about raising bilingual kids and guides for the best practices, the essence of basic family routines could get lost in the pursuit of perfection.

Should I read only in the target language to my child? Is it ok to translate when my child wants me to read a book that is in the community language? Should I ever read in the majority language to my child? Am I using enough books for multicultural families, authentic books, immigrant stories…etc, etc, etc.?

Hope you are not already stressed out… but these are some of the questions that parents raising bilingual and multicultural kids might ask when they want to be sure they are doing the right thing when reading to their children and trying to pack culture, language, traditions, plus reading skills into their bilingual children’s sleep routine.

I know, sounds crazy, but the fact is that when your goal is to raise a bilingual and bicultural child, it seems that there are so many things to take into account in order to be successful. Much more if you also want to make everyone happy on both ends of the spectrum of a bicultural family or environment.

But the reality is that reading should not be considered a task or complicated by anyone for any reason at all. I mean, I grew up loving story time thanks to parents and grandparents that made reading the most wonderful, nurturing, and memorable time together simply with what they had at home.

While growing up back in Colombia, we did not have many fun, colorful, engaging, and interactive children’s books in our family library. Not even picture books. No one would take us to the local library either, there were no such things as Story time. My grandparents used to have a large selection of encyclopedias, but only one from those large piles of books was the volume for children’s stories. It was also the only one to contain any illustration, one white and black picture per story.

But the amazing thing is that when my grandfather grabbed a book, the whole family (both kids and adults) would sit to listen to his enchanting voice and mesmerizing tone as he read the “True Stories” from his Reader’s Digest collection. Not the most kid friendly themes, I must say as I try to remember the images I used to recreate in my mind of some of the stories, but that was what he liked to read to us, and that was probably one of the best memories I have of the whole family together… (Maybe because no one was talking…maybe because he really made it special).

On the other hand, my grandmother was an amazing storyteller. She would transform herself into any character, changing her voice and facial expressions to transport my sisters and me to the most fantastic worlds as she narrated stories she learned from her parents or ones she used to make up… sadly those are the ones no one wrote down and have been forgotten.

When I was pregnant, I really never thought about what books I was going to read to my kids. I mean all I had fresh in my mind were the books I read as an adult and the classics, like “Snow White” and “Cinderella” or some of the titles from the Colombian Poet Rafael Pombo. We got some books at the baby shower for my first child, and then I remember my husband (Who is American) bought “Oh, Baby, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss (who was a complete stranger to me until then). He used to read it close to my belly every day after work. Other days, we would read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, which was totally new for me as well. In the beginning, I remember wondering why he chose these kinds of books, but then I enjoyed seeing how he was actually sharing with both of us what was so representative of his culture.

As new parents, we were reading a lot about parenting. We learned how important it was to establish routines for our baby, so we started with the sleeping routine. That is how reading became not only the best way to prepare our children to go to sleep, but also one of the most beautiful and important times during our day to connect with our children. Sometimes we read a bilingual book together. Most days my husband, who does not speak Spanish, reads a book in English, and I read another one in Spanish. Other times, I translate some of their favorite English books into Spanish as I read, or I read authentic books.

After nine years of doing it this way, we now have a tradition rather than a routine and my kids love books. Our home library has grown, more than just with books, but also with what they represent in terms of the love from friends and relatives that have given us so many titles in both Spanish and English, authentic or translations. Yet, books in the end that bring us together as a family every night. We get some at the library. I have bought some too.

I have never taken my children to a Spanish Story Time because we don’t have those where we live. However, when I first took my older son to the Story Time in English at our local library, I met the woman who became my very first friend in this country: an American woman that was also a new mom looking for the children’s room that day. What else would two women need to have in common to start a conversation?

I have been wondering for many years now if I am doing it right. If I am adding enough exposure to the language and my culture through music, books, conversations, trips, etc. The truth is I don’t know. It will probably never be enough, but I am sure, at least in terms of reading, I have been trying to give them what my parents and grandparents gave me without even knowing: reading a place in the heart of our family. In the end, that is what will make the difference for my children to love reading no matter the book, no matter the amount of books, and no matter the culture or language.

So, if you ever wonder if you are reading in the correct language, with the right accent, from the best or preferred authors, including enough culture, asking them the right questions as you read, or offering enough titles… just remember that reading is not about how much you pack in the routine but about how much your child enjoys reading with you. It is about teaching them to treasure the memories in their hearts until one day they get to share the same joy with another child.