Bilingual Babies

America is known as a melting pot... and for good reason. People from all around the world move to here and bring their culture and customs as well as their native languages with them. Parents who speak English as well as languages other than English can sometimes be faced with the dilemma of whether or not to pick only one language to speak at home. Then, if they decide to use only one language, they must decide which language to use.

By the age of about 3 children [who do not have any language delays] have excellent language skills and a good language foundation. If you, as a parent, speak more than one language, it is a good idea to speak your native language at home, since children are capable of learning a second language without even trying. So as long as your child does not have any language learning difficulties, s/he will learn English naturally through the television and school. 

If you are in a bilingual household and both languages are spoken to your child, it may take a bit longer for your child to develop language skills in both languages. For example, your child may begin to speak a little later than expected, or may babble for a longer amount of time than children learning only one language. Also, while your child is still a toddler, it is not unusual for bilingual children to mix both languages in one sentence when speaking. Eventually as they get a little older (around 4 years old) they work out the kinks and begin to use each language separately. 

If you speak only English in your home, but would like your child to have exposure or start learning a second language, around the age of 3 is a good age to introduce a new language to your child. This is because young children absorb language without even trying. 

If you want to introduce your child to another language here are some good resources:

 

Usborne publishes books in languages including English,  German, French, and Spanish:

http://www.myubam.com/ecommerce/results.asp?sid=NEW&gid=82284281

My personal favorites are the "First Hundred Words" books which have great pictures and words in English and the featured foreign language. 

Janelle publishing has picture cards and many more materials in Spanish:

http://www.janellepublications.com/spanish-materials.shtml

Uncommon goods sells fun flashcards in Spanish & French:

http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=15896

Put on shows like Dora, Go Diego Go and Handy Manny which are mainly in English, but mix in Spanish as well. 

Looking at picture cards and books with foreign languages in them are also great ways for adults to learn another language too, so it's a fun way for you to learn with your child. 

Better Parenting

We know that when a girl is too bossy and has a guy on such a tight leash that he is at her beck and call, people say he's lost his man card and...well... let's face it... this is not a good thing. Yet... what about when your 3 or 4 year old is just as bossy and you will do anything just to please him/her? I say you've lost your parent card and you need to reclaim it. As a parent you are (or should be) the boss of the family, not your little child.

When I see a young child lash out and hit a parent just because the child is annoyed, and the parent does nothing, it makes me disapointed. Why does that 3 or 4 year old feel entitled to hit a parent? Why is that behavior allowed? Why don't parents do more to get rid of those inappropriate behaviors? 

How do I do that you ask? Start by setting boundries, and let your child know there are consequences for negative actions. Also, ask yourself when these behaviors will no longer be acceptable; will they be acceptable until your child is 6 years old? what about 8 years old? and then what? At that age you suddenly tell them it's not ok. How confusing.

It's one thing when children have real emotional or behavior issues which manifest themselves in undesirable behaviors, but it's quite another story to have an unruly child and let them get away with acting that way. Clearly I am not the only one who has noticed that we have become a society that is too lenient with their children. The show Super Nanny features different families every week who desperately need help deaing with children with potty mouths and out of control behaviors. And last week Dr. Phil did a series entitled "How To Be a Better Parent". Not only did he do the shows, but there are some advice articles as well regarding better parenting. 

In order to make a change, you need to understand how you parent to know what your parenting strengths and weaknesses are. A little re-evaluation can go a long way. To help you get started below is a link from Dr. Phil to help you understand your parenting style. It has interesting questions that allow you to take a look at your role as a parent and expectations you have towards your child. So go ahead and check it out: 

http://drphil.com/assets/a/a0170fbd26b6c36fa62c08ef9bf049b3.pdf

Sensory Integration

The timer is buzzing, the phone is ringing & somewhere in the background little voices are screaming "Mommy... Mommy".  Did someone say sensory overload? It is so easy for us to get overwhelmed with all that goes on. These days there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day, so we do everything at once. 

Just as adults get stressed and overloaded, so do children. But some children have what is known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID). Sensory integration is how our bodies integrate and respond to stimuli in our environment. Stimuli being things such as light, sound, things we touch; more or less how we process the information through our senses.  SID comes in different forms. Some children are constantly smelling objects, others are extremely active and get over-stimulated in a noisy busy room, while others are impulsive and easily distracted. 

There are times when these behaviors can be mistaken for something else such as a child misbehaving or acting out, when all the child is doing is trying to satisfy a craving their body has for the sensory information they are seeking. Children with SID have difficulty controlling themselves without the proper sensory input (such as jumping, running, a massage to calm them down, etc)and it is important for us to be aware of children with these behaviors. 

 

Children who have been identified as having SID can improve with the help of an Occupational Therapist who can provide a "sensory diet" to help children receive the input they are seeking.

There is a lot to sensory integration and it is by no means a subject easily summed up in a few paragraphs. There are different forms of SID and there are great books and websites to help us learn and understand more about it. Here are a few:

"The out-of-sync child" by Carol Stock Kranowitz. http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/

Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation: www.spdfoundation.net

Sensory Integration Education and Research Foundation: http://www.sierf.org/

Even if your child doesn't have SID, they still get overloaded and overwhelmed, just as we do and they look to us to help. So help them take a few deep breaths, bring them to a quiet room or stop to smell the roses.  Sometimes it's just enough to help for the moment...