Passing your Polish language and culture to your kids

Woah, woah! Slow down for a second? She did mention her kid has zero interest, and you can't always force everything on your children, not even when you think that it's really important. Sorry, but that's life.

:)

I'm not judging, just stating the obvious.


Does your parents and siblings all speak English? Nobody left in Poland?


You don't know that. Look how many foreigners come to Poland for study or business opportunity. If only, it could be useful to have the Polish passport.


What about grandparents who can't talk to their only grandchild? Do you know how hurt they feel?

a have a good friend who raised her kid along with mine. As much as I love her, I think she robbed her kid of childhood with her ambitions. Now, her kid, after medical school, is fighting suicidal depressions, while mine is loving life. It goes to show you that you never can tell. ;)

I do want to get him a Polish passport. To some places he goes to, it may be useful to have a Polish passport, even if he doesn't think so. I don't see him in Eastern Europe. He might run into some Polish people in Australia.

I know, it's life. You can't predict how it's going to be but I still think that knowing ANY foreign language is beneficial for a kid. If only for the brain development.

well, I don't think so. When you watch your own kid learning social skills and communication, then by all means, you can jump in with another language, and make it all harder so maybe one day, he will travel to ..wherever.. to use it. I think he will be fine with English. Although, like I said before, Spanish would be nice, too.

So what would you propose then? To ram a couple of study books down his throat? ;)

He learned English somehow. This is one of the few times that I nearly agree with Bzibzioh (obviously skip the Catholic hate yourself bit). That second language will make it much easier to learn other languages in the future. If you teach it while they're young, what are you hurting? I've never regretted it for a minute.

I propose very hi-tech and sophisticated solution: TALK to your kid. In your own language.

I occasionally babysit my friend's one year old son when she's having her hair done, and as she's always encouraging me to speak Polish to him (they are English-speaking Canadians, she's Irish-Jamaican) I taught him one Polish song and some Polish words. He repeats them constantly when he sees me. He's also learning French as he goes to a bilingual day care. I can guarantee you that his head is not exploding.

Oh, but I'm not saying I disagree with her logic in this matter, or yours, but the fact is that kids have a will of their own, and you can't teach them jack-sh¡t if they *really* don't want to hear it. (I still remember being a kid, so that's probably why! xD)


You can try. :)


Yes, but that kid is obviously younger, and obviously enjoys languages. ;) Not all kids do. ;) So it's not about what you think, or what I think? :)

Do you remember learning Dutch? And hey, are you trying to call me old? You can't be too much younger than me, or else you wouldn't be allowed to stay up this late past your bedtime.


Younger being the key word there. Start them off as young as possible, it's not a choice for them at that point.

Yup. :)


Hey, you're as old as you feel? (Or as young! ;))


Yes dad. xD

In my experience, parents talk to their children in their own language simply because it is easier for them. They watch the TV, listen to the radio in their native language because they are more comfortable with it, and when kid goes to primary school, it has a harder time catching up. From what I see, the Spanish kids without a good grasp of English are entering school at a disadvantage. Now, if you happen to be a linguistics proffessor and are also talking care of teaching the language the child is going to need to talk outside of your family, then all power to you. I believe those are the exceptions, though.

You seriously remember learning to speak Dutch? How about learning how to walk? Freak (albeit with a good memory)...


Speaking one language at home isn't the same as teaching your child English and a foreign language. I grew up bilingual and didn't have any problems. If anything, it helped in school.

A lot of families in our province are bi- or even trilingual. It's considered normal.


You are talking about unilanguage homes. That is a disadvantage. But nobody is asking you to exclude English.

I don't understand what that means. Most kids I know that grow up bilingual because parents talk one lanuage at home and leave the second language to be learned once the child enters school.

I had a choice to talk to my baby in Polish or English. I consciously chose English and I don't consider that a sign of laziness.

When Angelina Jolie adopted that first Korean boy, she hired a Korean-speaking nanny just for him to have a contact with his native language since she didn't speak that language at all. Yet you decided to not give your child that opportunity. You would not hurt him by speaking both languages to him.

I'm a mutt. My mother spoke to me in German (and a bit of Czech...), and my father spoke to me in English. It worked out. No linguists required.

LOL she probably hired 10 nannys!

Do you know anything about Long Island at all? About the only charities or foundations related to the area are those Long Islanders pay for, when they feel like it. Oh, and btw. these are the ones perfectly bilingual in Yiddish/English and/or Hebrew/English. You need to travel more.


And my response is no special effort is required. If living in Poland, just speak to the kids in English at all times. No exceptions. All outside the home will take care of their Polish. The method, under various language and locality scenarios has been tried and proven to be working millions of times, over the last... I dunno... a few thousand years at least.

No need to hire any specialists unless the kids are so called "special needs" ones, or when they are beyond the L2 Critical Period, usually around the time when they reach puberty.


That's sweet. Now can I see any links to her publications, or the publications of those "leaders within their field" in which they void research by Chomsky, Skinner, Piaget and such?

Oh, and I think your wife should immediately notify millions of bilingual kids in the US about the results of that research. Otherwise the fools around the world will continue using two languages unaware that they shouldn't, given that not only did they never use the services of a language specialists, but they never heard about any.


How is it different from US born kids?
They don't speak any language on a decent level at all. Among the five words they know, the most frequently used are "like" and "lol".

What?? Again, great majority of bilingual children become that way because one language is spoken at home, another outside. All I'm saying that it is not logical that child is at an advantage entering school without good knowledge of the language that will be spoken there.

If the plan is to eventually return to the native country, maybe.
I personally wish that one day we all speak one language and the sentiments over all the useless old languages that divide us will be looked at with disaproval.

But you were talking about your child. You can speak both languages to your child at home, no disadvantage in school...promise!

The more languages, the merrier. A common language for basic communication is great, but different languages make you think in a new way. The relationships between different words in different cultures is neat. Dunno, I think there is more too it than just talking.

I do! My mother and I speak Polish when we don't want him to know what we're talking about. ;)

I don't know about the more-the-merrier. I actually feel sorry for anyone that finds him/herself in a situation where they have to learn Polish.

Why? That is seriously strange statement.

Bzibzioh


No stranger than living permanently in another country and still trying to hold onto to your "old" culture. When one assimilates one acquires a sense of belonging. This is important for the kids that they have a sense of belonging. Of course the parents who were raised in Poland probably still think of themselves as Polish but the kids are caught between two very different cultures if they are not raised with an identity of who they are. If you want your kids to be Polish and have a Polish identity, well then move to Poland. If you're going to permanently live in Canada, than raise them as Canadians.

I think F-Stop, according to her posts, raised her son to assimilate and he sounds well adjusted.

Thus probably making it genetically impossible for her to pronounce the TH sound ; )

I know absolutely nothing about Long Island, apart from its position on the map

It is all about the results and the level you wish to take the children too.


Quite frankly, the situation in the states does not interest me. I can only discuss the language development of our children.


Now,you know of more.


Exactly.


lol, anyone that knows me will tell you that, I need to travel less.

some people are just idiots for no reason, or for strange reasons, well.

Because I do believe that Polish is one of the most difficult languages to learn. That's why I feel sorry for anyone having to learn it. You find that seriously strange? That's strange. ;)


Do you think anyone else besides yourself likes your style of discussion? I thought you left the pf.

I don't know, anyway I wasn't talking to you, and oh my!? didn't mean to insult you.
You can blame me for being honest, I seriously think that not speaking to your child in your native language is idiocy.
Didn't you notice even on this very forum peeps who due to their parents foolishness are trying hard to learn polish language on their own, and then you are right its language hard to learn.

There are numerous examples showing that hardship and struggle to survive makes people stronger, but I would not blame parents for not sending their 12-year olds to work at a sweatshop.

Again, I don't think speaking your native language at home while in foreign country deserves a parenting medal, it's usually just the easiest thing to do.