Rubbing off

Dylan,

Dad and I (read me) decided to send you to a Spanish immersion program this summer while your regular preschool was on summer break. I had these great visions of you being fluent by the time summer was up, but it became very apparent to me that while they speak only Spanish to you, they speak it very fast, and you generally just smile and nod your head to them in response to everything they say. It's that "I know I'm cute so I'll just try smiling at you and batting my lashes" look. Even those words you actually know are said so rapidly, there's little chance you actually catch them. I'm sure they spend time during specific lessons and such where they slow down and teach you words, but it was really the conversation piece I was hoping you'd gain from the experience. The fact that you have volunteered the Spanish word for various things around the house over the last week has given me hope though I have since re-adjusted my expectations. I have settled for the fact that the constant exposure is beneficial, and many young children exposed to second languages in the home begin to understand them even if they don't speak them.

Tonight you demonstrated that all this Spanish time is rubbing off. You spent practically the whole afternoon and evening (when not battling with us to finish your dinner, take your bath, and get ready for bed) singing songs in Spanish over and over. Not just the same song, but many different ones. There was one you sang on the train, one on the car ride home, and two in the bath. There might have been more, but I don't recall. Not sure if you actually know what you are singing about, but you've at least got the words mostly right because I can recognize what your saying. Ah, who knows, you probably do know what your singing.

It should come as no surprise to me it's through singing that you internalize a second language.

Mom