How Do You Spell B.I.L.I.N.G.U.A.L.?

Now that my kids are getting a bit older, I’ve begun bending my rule about posting photos of their faces at this blog. After all, they no longer look like they did in pictures from their youngest years, anyway. And I do want to offer a more personal glimpse of our lives to help you identify with my family—otherwise I’m afraid all this content becomes too abstract. So, with that in mind, I thought I would share a few photos from the past and illustrate some of the basic elements that have made up our bilingual journey to date.

Put them all together and they spell B.I.L.I.N.G.U.A.L.!

Books and reading aloud are at the very heart of strong, long-term success. (See The Secret to Raising a Bilingual Child and How Many Books Do You Have In Your Home?.)

Imagination and creativity are key to strengthening language exposure and addressing difficulties. (See Creative Solutions to Challenges Raising Bilingual Kids and the resource page Creative Ideas.)

Laughter and joy should be a big part of our experience raising bilingual kids, no matter the frustrations. (See I Do Not Teach Children. I Give Them Joy. and the resource page Fun Stuff.)

Input, in both speech and writing, is the crucial fuel for fostering active ability in the target language. (See How Many Hours Per Week Is Your Child Exposed to the Minority Language? and Why Raising a Bilingual Child Is Very, Very Simple—and Very, Very Difficult.)

Noise can be crazy-making, but noise in two languages is also the melodious sound of success. (See How Fighting Like Furious Monkeys Can Benefit Your Bilingual Kids.)

Gifts and purchases which emphasize books and other resources in the minority language will help produce the greater gift of bilingual ability. (See Do You Really Have Enough Resources in the Minority Language? and Fuel Your Child’s Passions and Proficiency in the Minority Language.)

Underwear is a symbol for daily, playful silliness by both children and parents. (See Be Very Serious. Be Very Playful. The Bilingual Journey Demands Both. and VIDEO: With Bilingual Kids, There’s a Madness to My Method.)

Adventure is the spirit of the bilingual journey: with a positive outlook, we make the boldest, bravest efforts we can. (See The One Thing You Absolutely, Positively Must Have to Raise a Bilingual Child and Free eBook: Instant Inspiration for Parents Raising Bilingual Kids.)

Love is what underlies it all, and ultimately, is the only thing that ever really matters. (See My Son Disappears, I Lose My Mind, and the World is Beautiful and Haircuts, Soap Bubbles, and the Whole Meaning of Life in Under 700 Words.)

How about you? How do you spell B.I.L.I.N.G.U.A.L.?