BloomTalk
BloomTalk
Raising a Multilingual Child: What Parents Need to Know About Identity, Culture, and Belonging
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What does it mean to truly belong?
Is it the language you speak? The passport you carry? Or the memories you build within your family?
In this episode of Bloom Talk, we sit down with Jihane, a parent in our Maple Bloom community who is raising her daughter across four languages, four worlds, and one very big question: How do you help a child belong to many places without feeling torn between them?
Drawing from her own journey of moving from France to Tanzania 15 years ago, Jihane shares the reality of maintaining a multilingual household involving French, English, Swahili, and Gujarati. From "secret languages" at the dinner table to the "Anu" identity crisis at airport customs, this conversation explores the invisible labor of cultural transmission and the beauty of a childhood without borders.
This conversation is for parents, educators, and global citizens asking: What do people misunderstand about raising bilingual children?
How do different languages shape the way a child thinks and reasons? Is it possible to pass on a culture without passing on pressure or confusion? Why is the "ultimate goal" of language about family connection, not just fluency? This is not just a conversation about vocabulary and grammar.
It’s about identity, memory, and the quiet fear that a child might one day feel they have to choose—and how we can ensure they never have to.
🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why being bilingual doesn't mean being a "perfect translator" How languages are often compartmentalized by activity and person
- The "Logic Shift": How different sentence structures mold a child’s brain
- Practical tips for keeping minoritized languages alive through play and one-to-one interaction
- Why a child’s identity is often rooted in their name before their nationality
⏱️ Chapters
• 0:00 Trailer
• 2:15 Intro
• 3:15 Why Dar? A 15-Year Accident
• 4:20 Language as a Piece of Identity
• 6:30 The Planning Involved in Expat Parenting
• 8:10 Managing Four Languages: The Strategy
• 10:45 One-to-One Interactions & Keeping Traditions Alive
• 12:20 Common Misconceptions About Multilingual Kids
• 15:30 Building on Interests: Arts, Crafts, and French Songs
• 17:15 The "No Secret Language" Struggle for Parents
• 19:00 Personality Shifts Across Different Languages
• 21:30 The Airport Story: Passports and Identity
• 24:45 The "African European" Perspective
• 26:50 How Language Shapes Logic and Brain Development
• 29:10 Final Thoughts: Keeping the Family Together
#BilingualKids #BloomTalk #HowChildrenBloom #MapleBloom #RaisingGlobalCitizens
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Keep Blooming!
The ultimate goal is not speaking multiple languages.
SPEAKER_02Today we're speaking with Jehan, a parent in our Maple Bloom community, raising a daughter across four languages, four worlds, and one very big question. How do you help a child belong to many places without feeling torn between them?
SPEAKER_01This is kind of a big part of my identity. You don't realize it until you you don't have it anymore. Can I say like, cuz because you are Tanzanian, baby? And she's like, I'm not Tanzanian. I think still to this day she's not getting it. It's like my identity is my name.
SPEAKER_02This conversation is for any parent navigating more than one language, more than one culture, or more than one version of home, and wondering how to pass it on without passing on confusion, pressure, or loss. It's just brand new on all fronts. You have to figure out a lot of mistakes. What do people really misunderstand about raising bilingual children?
SPEAKER_01Being multilingual or bilingual doesn't mean that you're excellent. That's the downside of speaking multiple languages. We don't have an adult language which we can speak about her in front of. So I want her to be proud of herself and that she doesn't feel like she has to choose a culture or language.
SPEAKER_02Because beneath the language itself is something deeper: identity, memory, family, and the quiet fear that a child might one day feel they have to choose.
SPEAKER_01Not like, oh, I'm not French enough or no, I'm not really Tanzania enough. It's the small bits of memory that it's important to share and transmit and things that you can read in the book. The goal is not to speak multiple languages, the goal is like to have your family with you.
SPEAKER_02What do you want her to take in with the conversation that we've we've had? Well, I would like her to understand that we really tried. Are there any mistakes that you've regretted knowing that you're raising a quadrilingual child? So, yes. Welcome to Bloom Talk, a Maple Bloom podcast where we explore how children learn, grow, and thrive both at school and at home. I'm Natalia, your host, and I'm glad you're here. Whether you're part of the Maple Bloom community, a parent from another school, or someone who simply cares about education and parenting, this is for you. On today's episode, we're gonna talk about how it's like to raise multi-level children. Identity as well. How do you know? Where do you know you're coming from? When you hear specific languages spoken in your family. And to make it more interesting, today we have a parent from a maple bloom community joining our podcast whose child is already learning four languages, and she's four and three-quarters years old. Please welcome Gian. Welcome to our podcast. Thank you. So nice having you in our podcast today. Thank you for having me. I'm very happy to be here. From the accent French. Yes, from France. French from France. That's funny. I'm sure our kids will be like, obviously. So um, I just want to know why DAR?
SPEAKER_01So I came here by accident. Accident. Well, by luck. By luck. 15 years ago, and I never left. Wow. Uh so yeah, I came here for my first job. Uh, that was just like, you know, finding a job, finding a job. First place to sit yes, uh, was Dara. So I was like, okay, check on the map. Okay, it's in the tropic. I'm okay with that. Yeah. And so I came here and um I met my husband here. Oh he's Tanzanian. Oh, nice.
SPEAKER_02And so since then I've been here. You have been here for 15 years, correct? And um, how were the challenges with um having to cope with the different language? Um, how did you adapt?
SPEAKER_01Um, so I I I learned English before coming here. Of course. Um, I was already in an English-speaking country before. Um, but uh I've realized with time I learned about myself that I'm not fully happy if I don't speak both French and English for that matter here. Uh so speaking French is is I I thought it was just, you know, like something you do. Um, but I realize it's kind of a big part of my identity. And when I don't have the occasion to practice it, like either outside of at work, I had places at work where I was able to speak French, or like outside in uh friend circles, or like with family around, or um, it's something that's missing, but you don't realize it until you don't have it anymore. And so the switch of languages, um, so for me it's not a problem, and I I embrace new cultures, I'm very happy. Um, but yes, uh it's a little effort to keep up with what you know, what you used to. Um for a long 15 years ago, there was not much internet in there. So I used to always listen to the radio or to music. Okay, and so there was a period, I think the first three, four years where I was kind of cut or what's the new music out, you know, like what's going on the French radio or other thing because it was not accessible. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so yeah, it's something that you don't realize you miss and you're like, hey, I turned the radio.
SPEAKER_02Okay, it's Sunday songs, cool, but where's the new music or the beats, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So like small things like that that you miss. And we all know you have a beautiful little girl. Um, so I just want to know how was your life before having your daughter?
SPEAKER_01Before I knew there was this freedom of um, you know, like okay, you you work, you plan your weekends, your holidays, your around, you know, your your interests. Yeah. Um, and then when you have a child, obviously your your priority change and the constraints are different. Yeah. Um, especially when when you uh have an attachment in another country or like you're an expat or live abroad. Um it's the constant planning to keep the attachment, but also trying to fit into like holiday schedules and like see friends and do exciting things, but keep a touch with all country.
SPEAKER_02So that's true.
SPEAKER_01Yes, there's way more planning involved, obviously, with the child, um, but it's also rewarding.
SPEAKER_02Um, I'm sure you've also had to transition from getting used to your culture back at home and having to be introduced in a more vast, different culture here. I'm sure you've also been trying to balance that out. Best of both worlds, we could say.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, how is that going for you? How is the culture? How have you been immersed into the culture?
SPEAKER_01So uh actually, I'm learning something new every day. Uh, because the the culture I know even here before or in France before had nothing to do with children. So I don't have the code for raising a child in French or here or in English or in Swahili. And so it's it's just brand new on all fronts that you have to figure out a lot of mistakes, yeah. Um, and then be very uh aware and focused to like learn and catch up and use it.
SPEAKER_02So I feel like it's not instinctual at all at all. Tell me a little bit about how your life is like having to raise a bilingual child. I mean, um she she's an only child. Yes, yes, she's an only child. How is that?
SPEAKER_01Um well it's good. It's good. Uh our whole attention is on her and her well-being. Yes, and so we we like heard about people saying she needs uh a sibling or everything, but we're like, you know what? Yes, siblings are good, but everybody's traumatized by their siblings. That's true. I could say that firsthand. Yes, it's like, yeah, it's good, but the first one is traumatized by the change, like so. It's like, yes, she won't have this drama, okay. We'll give her another one, no problem. But um, but yeah, like she can develop fully, yeah. I feel with confidence, uh, without change in the family dynamics.
SPEAKER_02Okay, and with um language, um does she how many languages does she speak right now?
SPEAKER_01Uh so in theory, she understands four languages. Oh wow. Uh so we are aiming for her to be able to speak all of them. Uh I will say the most uh the most prominent she we're using right now is uh English, obviously, uh French and uh Swahili, I would say.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh and then the fourth one is Gujrati, yeah, which is very important for her to learn.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but we are building it slowly, getting there. Yes, okay, and her dad is for uh Gujarati? Her dad, yes, and uh grandparents. Oh, that's nice. How can she understand when you know? Because four languages is a lot. It is, yeah. So does she speak them? Does she understand them?
SPEAKER_01If you speak to her, she knows what you're saying, or uh so since she was born, we made a conscious effort to each be a reference adult for our languages. Okay. So since she was born, has been talking to her in French, the French like sleeping song and everything. Um, my husband was doing the gurretti part, and uh the the dada was like we asked her to interact more in Swahili and English was with her friends. Friends, yeah. Um and uh it's it's been okay. So for the longest time, I think she did not realize she understood, but her reply were was were always in English. There was no awareness of switching languages, okay. Uh, but she understood very well. And uh after that, uh whenever she's more uh in emotion with one language, so for example, when we travel to France and it's more French speaking people around, it takes a few days, but she will switch like words in the sentence in French, like can I have a gâteau? Like can I have a bonbon? It naturally comes, yes, okay. So the structure is not there, but she understands when people talk to her and the words come here and there, and in Swahili as well, like the the the the word or the sentence she repeats the most are natural. Oh wow, uh, and she does associate it with the people that speak it, speak the language, um but yeah, there she's not yet at the point where she constantly said, like, okay, this in French means this in English, like she's not doing translation at all. We are not, yeah.
SPEAKER_02You I don't think you want to confuse her in that way. Yes. Okay, that's good. What activities do you do to make sure that she either keeps the language you know practice going or the interaction that she's having outside?
SPEAKER_01So at uh because it's the break, she's there's no school.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh and at home we um we're doing more like one-to-one activities. Okay. Um, in the morning, she's going to a camp with her friends because we miss our friends very much when they're not together. Um and uh so they do uh their activity together, and then in the afternoon it's more like one-to-one. So we'll do a bit of cooking uh at home. Um, you know, and I try to, for example, see if I cook with her, it's like, you know, like that's that's uh this word is this word in French. Yeah. Do you remember if you like where did you try it, etc.? Um and uh in Swahili with like the dada or with somebody else, like they will do like some gardening with the garden, like she'll go with the gardener, he will show her the flowers and do a bit of uh thing and in in Swahili, yeah. So like one-to-one interactions, it's how we keep the language uh alive, or just go see her grandparents and like listen to stories, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, just uh that's nice. Does a part of you fear that she might, let's say, forget maybe a specific language maybe in the future?
SPEAKER_01So we do want her to be fluent uh at some point when she grew up in the four languages so that she can talk with family uh and friends and have an attachment to Tanzania. Um so it's a conscious effort, yeah, and it's also uh kind of a long-term planning on how to build uh connection to the four languages through activities or travels or uh friends. If she has a good base, it'll be easier later to improve. Yeah, uh we are working on in the long term but not pushing it, you know, there's no pressure. Yeah, no pressure. It has to be fun.
SPEAKER_02So, Gian, um I just have a question. What do people really misunderstand about you know having a bilingual child or raising a bilingual, you know, raising bilingual children?
SPEAKER_01Um, so I think if you're if you don't have that experience or if you're not aware, is being multilingual or bilingual doesn't uh mean that you're excellent uh or that you can translate things. Um it means like in certain situations you know a language, but it doesn't mean you can like translate. Translation is very different from speaking different languages, especially in children, yeah uh because they don't have the conscious uh methods to switch from one to the other, maybe. And so that's what people maybe say, Oh, you speak this and this is how do you say this, or how do you say this word? And a child would be like, I don't know, maybe if I've only said milk in English in my whole life, but I know how to say motorcycle in French because I've done sport in French, yeah, but I eat at home, you know. So children won't have the full vocabulary in every language, so sometimes you can be, oh, but so you don't really speak it, you know. Yeah, but um what you've been exposed to, which not in an academical way, but like in a family or in private way, is not structured. Yeah, so what you know is not a curriculum. So that's what most people don't understand about uh children that grew up in multilanguage families, like they don't have all the vocabulary in every language. Yeah, that's sometimes it's very comportamentalized, actually.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that is very true. What do you do more to keep her, you know, occupied, busy, and also including, you know, having to add more, you know, French maybe into her vocabulary as you say it, or Swahili as you say it? What more are you doing to keep her busy like that?
SPEAKER_01What I've tried to do, uh, and it's been working a little bit so far, is um building on her her interest. So she loves arts and craft, and so every time we were colouring, I was like, what's this color in French? What's this color in French? Or can you give me orange? So it's also another connection without having to practice. She will understand, she will reply in English, but when you will say, like, please say in French, she'll be like, No, no, it's like I don't want to speak French. Yeah, so we are not pushed her. Uh she has refused for me to read a book to her in French, but she understands the story in the evening. She's more tired, and so she wants something easy to hear, but we are big on French songs at the moment. Oh, nice. So at night we got our French songs to sleep.
SPEAKER_02Yes. What other physical activities does she do outside of home?
SPEAKER_01Um, so she she's uh usually she's been doing sports, um, gymnastic is a big one that she loves. Yeah. Um we have been uh doing a lot of swimming and going to the beach with her friends. Well that's nice. When she hears a family speaking French, she's like, Oh, they speak French.
SPEAKER_02Oh, she can actually get it. Yes, she's more aware about it. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01And when I say, like, do you want to speak with them? No, no, no, no, I don't speak French. Especially there is so multicultural around Masaki. Um, when we go to the supermarket or things, and she picks up other languages, she's like, Oh, I understand this one. Oh, that's nice. So there's bits and pieces here, yeah. Uh, but most activities that she can do outside of the school are mostly like arts of craft lessons, yeah, music, music lessons that we try to make fun of, um, sports, yeah. Um yes, I I I think she's old enough now that we can try to do like maybe museums or exhibition or more cultural things. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Now that she's at that age where she understands, what is what secret language do you talk about? About Annu, where you know she'll understand, but you're like trying your best not to make sure that she knows you're talking about her.
SPEAKER_01Yes, so that's that's the downside of speaking multiple languages. We don't have an adult language where we can speak about her in front of her. Yeah, so maybe we'll do you know, we'll do the spelling in French because now she understands the English spelling. Either we will still spell some complicated word or switch the language of spelling, or we will we will WhatsApp each other when we're next to each other because she still doesn't know how to read. Yeah, yeah. So we have one other one more year after that. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Um, I wanted to ask, um, with having um to be bilingual, do you see her having different personalities when she tries talking in a different language? Um not yet.
SPEAKER_01Okay, but uh when we are in France, uh after maybe a few days or a week with her grandmother, she she she will still pause uh when she asks something. Okay, or in that way she will be calmer because I think there's a still a reflection on on speaking it. Um but so far I haven't seen a noticeable difference. So I'm sure there is like even me, I notice in myself that my personality is different when I speak English or when I speak French, yeah, a little bit. Um but yes, yes, it would happen, I guess. But in the context of family, so far, not much.
SPEAKER_02You growing up. I heard you mentioned saying that you had the privilege growing up in a farm, um, you know, in the country. How how is that transition and now how you're seeing raising Anu? Do you see any similarities?
SPEAKER_01She is very much like me in that sense that she's a collector, uh, an explorer. I see Anushka is obsessed with flowers. Like every time there's a fruit, a new fruit that we try at home and there's seeds, we have to pick up the seeds and then try to plant them. Um we we've noticed some different birds at home, so we have to check on Google, you know, what the name is. And she wants to know see you want to know about the trees, let's learn about the trees. You want to know about the animals, let's not just watch them, but you know, know about them, you know, protect them if we can. At some point, we're learning about turtles and plastic in the oceans, and she's she's outraged when we see garbage on the streets. She's like, People are so dirty, mama.
SPEAKER_02Why don't they put in the garbage?
SPEAKER_01I was like, I know, baby.
SPEAKER_02With Anu being almost five, um, and her being able to understand these different languages. Does she did did she ever have an encounter? I know young, still young, but did she ever have an encounter where she had identity crisis?
SPEAKER_01So she she had, I can think of uh two instances. Okay. Um because she understands that we are in Tanzania, and um, I think until just recently we understand that Tanzania is in Africa because she was like, I mean Africa, but but I mean Tanzania, like how come? Yeah, I was like, because you know one is in the other, and she was like, No, like so we had to look. At the map and understand a few things, and and so like she's very proud, obviously, because who is not proud of their identity as a child? Um, of like, I'm in Tanzania, and then they've learned started learning uh in Swahili like um uh Mambo song again. Yeah, Mambo. Oh yes, okay. And so like every day when she speaks with Zadada, she's greeting her like Shigamo, and then like Mambo, Mambo. Yes, and she gets very cute. Um but there is this thing I noticed is um we we were at the um airport, I think when she just turned three. Okay, and we were at the airport coming back from France, and I had both her passports and mine, and her passport was blue, and mine was uh shirt color actually. Burgundy burgundy, yes, yes, and so we give it to the to the customs, it's like why why is it different color and everything? And I say, like, because because you are Tanzanian, baby, and she's like, I'm not Tanzanian, I'm Anu, I'm not Tanzania, I'm Anu, and the custom uh guy was laughing because no, you are a Tanzanian. It's like no, I'm an I'm Anu, I'm not, and I was like, It's because you we live in Tanzania, yes, so you are part of it, you know, yeah, and and I think still to this day she's not getting it. It's like my identity is my name, yeah, not anything else.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that is true.
SPEAKER_01Um, but she also knows she's part of Africa, so she's very proud of saying, like, I'm part of Africa with all the animals. That's sweet, yes. Um, and the other thing that's uh I realized like at some point, hopefully later in the future, we'll have to um talk about color uh because we were in actually the same trip, we were in France and we were taking the train to the airport. Sorry, um, and there was like um a teenager, uh a young teenager, and she was waiting for another train. And um she was like um African European, uh, and she was like, but she needs to come with us, she needs to come home with us. We can't leave her there. And I was like, no, she lives there. It's like no, she lives in Africa, she has to come back with us, she's gonna miss the train. Oh dear, and it was like so she she associated herself with like um African European person, and I was like, that's really sweet, actually. Yeah, that is like you saw it, and it's like come back home with us.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so she's still trying to grasp, you know, that you know it's diverse everywhere, yes.
SPEAKER_01Okay, because for what is normal here, I guess in France we haven't experienced because we're not in the big city in France, we're in the countryside, yeah. And so she hasn't experienced the diversity in France. So for her, being diverse is home. Yeah, so she wanted people to come back with us. Oh, that's nice.
SPEAKER_02What do you think we can do to improve having to support multilingual children and who are very active, just like Anu?
SPEAKER_01Amazing to have, like, you know, um multi-sports centers with teachers of different languages. Okay, because sports is universal. If you gather a few children who speak the same language, uh they will end up speaking that through themselves, making stories, making games, show player, um policeman and robber in French.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. Yeah, there's a lot of role play with different languages. So we've talked a lot about you know having you know you adapt into the new culture when you came here 15 years ago, yes, and for Anu to be exposed, you know, with the different cultures and the languages that she hears, not just at home, but at you know, school or outside of school. Why does it really matter for a child to be multilingual or what are the what are the small benefits that we can gain from either being multilingual and having to learn new languages?
SPEAKER_01So the the there's two things to it is uh the ultimate goal is not speaking multiple languages, is to be able to interact with your family, extended family. If if you have them, um I know some people in France don't speak English. Yeah. So if she wants to talk for her grand uncles, great and her cousins that may not know English, she needs to speak French with them. Yeah, the same um in India. I mean, some older folks maybe not be speaking English or French, like for that matter, French for sure. Yeah, but it's to be able to communicate with your family and like your culture, your roots. Um, she has she is very fortunate to have um different culture backgrounds more, yeah. And so to have access to them, like you need to be able to speak that language.
SPEAKER_02Yes, that's true.
SPEAKER_01Uh so yeah, the the goal is not to speak multiple languages, the goal is to to to this like to have your family with you. Uh and the second good thing about a child being multilingual is I feel like it shapes their brain differently in the logic. Um, because most people who speak one language don't question the way of learning. You learn to read and write, that's it. I mean, like as a child, you don't think about this thing, you just know one way of doing things and you do it. And when you're older, you learn a different language, so maybe different grammar rules, different structure, but you're aware of this, so you have to understand the logic to learn it. Yeah, but when you practice since you're a child, it molds your brain directly differently. Yeah, because the struct so there's a lot of studies about different languages, and the way you you express an idea uh means a lot of like how this culture thinks, you know, like so. If the verb is at the end of the sentence or at the beginning or in the middle, it it changed like how you have to think about your sentence. So in German, uh the the verb is always at the end. So the whole sentence comes before the verb, so you have to be able to know what you want to say, like what's the action verbs, because it comes at the end, so you have to know it before you say it, yeah, as opposed to like in French, we start with the verb, so you can start with the verb, and then you know it's happened in a millisecond, but then then think about what you want to say, right? So different language uh shape your perception differently, yeah. And so that's definitely a big advantage that unconscious, but I guess it makes you more aware of differences.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's my way. Have you also seen it sort of helping the child, maybe Anu academically too? Sometimes, if you want her to do it this way, if you say it in French, she'll understand it better. If if you say it in Gujrati, if dad says it in Gujrati, do you think it aligns well with her academics too?
SPEAKER_01I I think definitely the the reasoning is different with different languages. Um I I see when we do like homework sometimes. Um I we I will not start the way she is doing it in English right now. Okay, um, but it it it could be from her way of learning things, I'm not sure. But so like I will do it in a for me that seems logical, and she will do the reverse basically. And I'm like, okay, as long as at the end we get to the results, yeah. The language also shapes how we approach things, and definitely on homeworks, I can see a little bit of that already.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, are there any mistakes that you've regretted, you know, doing knowing that you're raising a quadrilingual. I've been thinking of this word child.
SPEAKER_01I've been speaking to Anushka in French since she was uh born. Um but in situation when we are in a group, I usually switch to English because for me it's polite that everybody understands. So our our French are usually one-to-one. Uh but something that I don't know if I regret, but I'm sure it'll come up when she's older. It's like when I need to correct her or where I get annoyed, uh, my natural voice switch to French to say like attention or stop or like don't do that. Yeah, and so I I'm a bit regretting that for her the reflex of hearing the French words are for negative things. Every time like she's naughty, she hears the French, like and then she understands and she she corrects herself. But I was like, I don't want her to only associate French with like being naughty, but I'm trying to expand our occasions to do practice French.
SPEAKER_02How were you able to navigate having to have her understand different cultural values? Can she pick those out? No, not yet. Not yet. Not okay.
SPEAKER_01Definitely. We're we're trying to teach her respect for the elders, okay. Uh mostly here or in India. She has not yet at that point understood the different cultures that go with the different languages. Okay. I think for her, because she grows, she's growing up with it, it's just a natural melting pot of everything. For now, for her, it's home, it's natural. Home is natural for her. There's no why.
SPEAKER_02It's like okay, that's how we do at home, you know? Yeah. She's so young, so she doesn't understand it or know it now. But let's say she sees these podcast, you know. She sees this podcast maybe 10 years in the future, 20 years in the future, and she's like, Oh, that's mom. Now she'll be um, what do you want her to take in with the conversation that we've we've had? Not just about her, because I mean it's only about her, yes, but what message are you trying to say for her to actually understand? Like, oh Mamo say this, you know?
SPEAKER_01Um well, I would like her to understand that we really tried. Like there's no guidebooks, and also it's depends on how child like receive or are receptive to what you do. So nothing is or was perfect, but we really tried, and so far, so good. So I want to I want to say so, like anything happens, we're already proud of her.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, and I'm sure she'll be very proud to see Mamo. Yes, it's like, oh that's my mom. Yes, you know, and knowing her since knowing her since before, she carries things very proudly. And I'm sure she'll go on about and boast about like, yeah, my mom is on TV. Yeah, for sure. It will also build up her curiosity in learning more and more and more. Because if let's say two years from now, next thing you know, she is more fluent in French or Gujarati than anyone else. And she's now also learning what other languages is is she learning at the moment? Uh just uh Mandarin. Mandarin. Yes. All of a sudden she knows Chinese and Mandarin, I mean Mandarin. Yeah. And you're just there, like, okay, yeah, what's next? Yeah, what's next? You know, it's it's that curiosity that's gonna help her wanna learn more, want to grow more, and it's also gonna just bring her creativity, her colorful creativity that we know and we knew as teachers when she's older. Yes, I hope so. Do you think that it's a question that a lot of parents who are raising multilingual children or um parents who are having their child learn a new language? Is that the fear that they have maybe when they grow older they might lose the roots of the maybe the mother tongue or maybe the languages that they have been exposed to, or the culture, or the identity? Is that something you think a lot of parents fear?
SPEAKER_01Um that's a very good question. I know that's how I grew up. You you had this expression in French where it's like you your um your behind is between two chairs, you're neither fully one nor neither fully the other. I I do hope, and I do feel like because they're more exposed and aware of other cultures, there's just gonna be a big mix at the end, and that's not even gonna be an issue for her. I really hope so, but I know it was when I grew up, so yeah, that's why for me it's something that's it's important that doesn't repeat.
SPEAKER_02Um, what advice do you give um parents, not in just our maple bloom community, but out there who are gonna look at this podcast? What advice do you give them? Just like make it fun.
SPEAKER_01Make it fun, like learn about it the weird tradition in your culture, or the weird expressions, like things that sticks, just not just like okay, we we we have to speak like this, and this is what we eat, and this is like how we dress, but it's more like yes, what are the fun things? What are the unique things that you can't learn in a book? What's the tradition in your region or in your city? Not just all of France or all of Tanzania. It's like her and her friends, or her in her village. Yeah, this is what they did. So I feel for me that's it's the small bits of memory that it's important to share and transmit than things that you can read in the book or learn as a language.
SPEAKER_02Thank you so much, Ian, for coming to our podcast today. You know, you have really opened my eyes and hopefully opened the viewers' you know eyes more about having to raise multilingual children. We really appreciate you coming to our podcast today. I really enjoyed this conversation with you.
SPEAKER_01Me too. Thank you for having me for calling me.
SPEAKER_02Of course. I'm very honored that you thought about me. Thank you so much for staying with us till the end. Do you have a child who speaks multiple languages? How do you relate in this conversation? Don't forget to leave a comment down below. And if you loved this conversation, don't forget to like, share, subscribe, and hit that notification bell. Until next time, keep booming.