Has This Blog Been Helpful to Your Family? Here’s a Chance to Help Mine!

Has my blog given value to you and your family?

Have the ideas or inspiration you’ve found here been a source of support in your quest to raise bilingual kids?

If so, please consider returning the favor…

In June, my family will be traveling from Japan to the United States to see my parents. The last time we saw them was in 2008, when Lulu was 3 and Roy was just 1. The truth is, my parents are getting older now and it’s important that we take this trip so my parents and my kids will have the chance to see each other again in person. Of course, my parents are eager to hug their grandchildren, but for Lulu and Roy, who have no clear memories of my parents, this trip is our opportunity to make those lasting memories. I’m honestly not sure we’ll get another chance.

Bilingual Monkeys has been a labor of love and I hope to maintain the site for many years, and make it even more helpful for families around the world. At the same time, access to the site, and 99% of the content (including my weekly newsletter) will always be completely free. Now that I’m a bit older, and have been blessed with certain experiences that may benefit others, I see this blog as a way of giving something back.

Still, my work on Bilingual Monkeys is not without its costs. Along with regular expenses for the technical upkeep, I devote a great number of hours each month to producing new articles and corresponding with readers. As satisfying as this is, it isn’t easy being a freelance writer when so much of my writing time is unpaid!

I realize, of course, that there are many children in the world who are far more needy than my own. My work in the past has lent support to such children, and I hope to pursue similar efforts, via this site, in the future.

For the moment, though, here’s my simple appeal…

If my blog has helped you and your kids in some way, please help us with a donation. Not only will it help my kids make memories with their grandparents, it will help ease the heavy expense of this trip so I’ll be better able to maintain and grow Bilingual Monkeys through the rest of the year. (And that, in turn, can help you!)

The amount of the donation is entirely in your hands—whatever you can afford would be gratefully received. (And if times are tight, I completely understand. If it’s a choice between making a donation to me and buying a book for your child, buy that book! )

If you do choose to make a donation, no matter the amount, I’ll share my thanks with a fun “gift” from us: I’ll send your family a cool postcard from the road during our trip! (My mother lives in Memphis, Tennesee and my father lives in Quincy, Illinois—my hometown—so your postcard will be coming from the American heartland!)

Please note that we leave Japan on June 4th! (If your donation arrives after we leave on our trip, I’ll send you a postcard from Hiroshima after we return to Japan.)

Donations are now closed! Thanks so much for your support!