I've loved languages ever since I knew different ones existed. Imagine, I even enjoyed learning Latin at school! Still I remember that it was quite an effort, and I hardly remember any Latin anymore. I encountered the first really magnificent language experience when I lived abroad for a year - close to Portland, OR in the US. It was the first time I really, deeply understood the value of knowing and speaking a foreign language. Luckily, I was young enough to adapt quickly, and towards the end of the year, people would ask: Hey, where in the states are you from? I still had a slight accent, but it was hard to tell where it came from, and it definitely was not a German accent anymore. Those were the days....
After lots of thoughts and doubts and lots of discussion with family and friends, my wife and I decided that we'd raise our kids Alva and Nils to be bilingual and that I would talk English to them. We're both German, living in Germany, you can imagine it was not an easy decision. Even though bilingualism is natural and common in many parts of the world, so-called non-native bilingualism is not very wide spread today. Will it work out? Will the kids accept a second language in a German environment? Do I speak English good enough? What about Kindergarten? Which language do we speak during breakfast and dinner? Will they ever have a chance to lose the German accent they will surely acquire? Will they get bored during English class in 6th grade? These and the like were the question we asked ourselves. To be honest, we're not able to answer all of them - some things develop on the way, and I believe that you cannot plan everything ahead.
What finally convinced me to go for it was that there's a lot to gain and nothing to lose. The opportunity to grow up with two languages is unique and special, the advantages are undisputed, while there are hardly any drawbacks, even for non-native speakers. The worst thing that can happen is that, at some point of time, the kid does not accept the language and goes back to being mono-lingual. And yes, the kid will have an accent - but it would have an accent learning English in school, too.
Most of all, we're having a lot of fun with the two languages. Alva loves to translate between the two of us: "Mama, der Papa hat gesagt, ich darf noch Schokolade essen". "Papa, Mami said I don't have to eat it all up". It is so great to watch a little kid switch between the two languages without any problem, without giving any thought to it.
I've received many comments on our non-native bilingual education, both positive and negative. The most beautiful thing someone ever said to me was: "This is the greatest gift you can give to your children". I believe that he is right.
