Skip to content
  • Home
  • About Me

Third Culture Mama

Raising bridge-builders

  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Multilingualism

Multilingualism

Let the Summer of (multilingual) Reading begin!

June 7, 2018June 7, 2018 Third Culture Mama

If there is one thing I miss from our previous life in America, it’s got to be the library system. I’ve written about American libraries before. I remember the kids’ […]

Multilingualism

The day they asked me to speak to them in different languages

January 19, 2018January 19, 2018 Third Culture Mama

Some of our family’s best conversations happen around the dinner table. I’ll reassure you, some of our worst happen there too. Dinner in a home of young ones is a […]

Multilingualism

2017 Top French language resources for kids

April 1, 2017April 6, 2017 Third Culture Mama

A lot of linguists believe that the best language-learning method is through immersion. As in, moving to a place you have to speak it. Sounds dreamy and idyllic, right? But, […]

International Move

So you want to move for language? The cost of an international move.

February 22, 2017February 22, 2017 Third Culture Mama

“Would you have moved to France, knowing how hard it was going to be?“ my husband asked me in the warmth of a so-called ‘green café’ on a blistery cold […]

Multilingualism

How language affects transition

October 6, 2016November 1, 2016 Third Culture Mama

The whole family speaks French, which is a relief. Such a relief. Honestly, I can’t imagine how foreigners do life in France without speaking French. That said, we all speak […]

Multilingualism

Ignore the kids!

April 18, 2016April 19, 2016 Third Culture Mama

There is plenty of advice out there about getting kids to speak a second or third (weaker) language. One of my absolute favorite ways to get the kids speaking a […]

Multilingualism

For weary parents of bilinguals

February 22, 2016February 23, 2016 Third Culture Mama

A very pregnant Nae chased me around the park. She had overheard me speaking to the kids in French and was looking for tips. Encouragement, really. Nae had stopped speaking […]

Multilingualism

New language goals!

January 8, 2016January 8, 2016 Third Culture Mama

You might remember how down I was on New Year’s resolutions in 2015. I didn’t set any goals at the beginning of last year other than the resolve to just […]

Multilingualism

Language-learning: an alive, natural, changing process

October 23, 2015April 1, 2016 Third Culture Mama

When I first thought about this month’s Multilingual Carnival topic on “lost languages“, I didn’t think we had all that much to share. Our kids are all under four years […]

Bilingualism

Little language vignettes

August 12, 2015August 13, 2015 Third Culture Mama

After picking up a collection of short stories on clearance at a bookstore earlier this year, I rediscovered a wealth of beauty in the novella. That seemingly random purchase taught […]

Multilingualism

Bilingual Avenue Podcast

June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 Third Culture Mama

I am really honored to feature on this week’s episode of Bilingual Avenue, a weekly podcast with insightful tips and advice from language experts and normal parents like us, raising […]

Multilingualism

Sibling dynamics in multilingualism

April 27, 2015July 2, 2015 Third Culture Mama

Choosing and implementing a language strategy with your first child is often more straightforward than when the next child comes along. We generally speak more to our first-borns, we spend […]

Multilingualism

Expecting a multilingual baby!

February 19, 2015May 6, 2015 Third Culture Mama

What a life-altering experience it is to welcome a first baby into your home. Like many first time mamas who find themselves in this age of information overload, I felt […]

Multicultural

Advent around the world

December 1, 2014December 1, 2014 Third Culture Mama

Living in Germany first gave me an insight into the craft of the homemade advent calendar. Ten years ago, a German friend of mine showed me a perfectly engineered cardboard […]

Bilingualism

Bilingualism: 3 Myths

November 19, 2014November 26, 2014 Third Culture Mama

It is amazing how much unsolicited and unfounded advice you receive when you expose your children to multiple languages. These misconceptions often come from individuals who never had a bilingual […]

Bilingualism

The case against bilingual books

July 16, 2014November 23, 2014 Third Culture Mama

Our local library branch recently purchased a handful of English/French bilingual books to add to their collection. Knowing our excitement for new books to read in French, the library staff […]

Cultural Reflections

Introducing Mandarin

April 15, 2014November 23, 2014 Third Culture Mama

Ayo’s first introduction to Mandarin was uneventful. I didn’t take him to some toddler class. Oh no, it wasn’t that glamorous. I have come to realize that the best language […]

Motherhood

Mama thoughts at TWO!

March 24, 2014November 24, 2014 Third Culture Mama

We have a two year old! We once marveled at our infant boy’s mini features, wondering who he would become. Today, we already have glimpses of who this little boy […]

Bilingualism

Guitar in the park

February 17, 2014November 23, 2014 Third Culture Mama

It was about 3:30pm when we arrived at the park.  We had so much fun there yesterday that we had to come back for more. The intense mountain sun again […]

Language & travel: seizing the opportunities

June 20, 2013June 20, 2013 Third Culture Mama

I just finished reading Maria Babin’s thoughtful post on multilingualism and travel. When thinking about traveling with children for the sake of language acquisition, or to see family, or just […]

Bilingualism

Hindsight is always 20/20

April 21, 2013November 23, 2014 Third Culture Mama

I recall sitting in a cozy café, sipping a frothy cappuccino while reading all the books I could find on the subject of multilingual parenting atop a basketball-shaped belly. I […]

Bilingualism

Language tiers

March 25, 2013November 24, 2014 Third Culture Mama

Back when I was reading up about bilingual parenting, I found one book that wrote about the importance of understanding which tier your languages fall into. It went on to […]

Babies and language

March 7, 2013November 23, 2014 Third Culture Mama

For all of you interested in infant language assimilation, here are some fascinating TED talks I just have to share! Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies (On critical periods […]

Cultural Reflections

新年快乐

February 10, 2013November 24, 2014 Third Culture Mama

Happy Chinese New Year! We had such a blast celebrating Ayo’s first Chinese New Year at church. It was a bilingual Mandarin/English service with music, dance, short preaching, kids performance, […]

Linguistics

The case against Google translate

February 6, 2013November 23, 2014 Third Culture Mama

A bilingual playdate

October 19, 2012October 19, 2012 Third Culture Mama

Given the size of our city, I feel really fortunate that there are enough francophone and francophile families to plan French Meetup playdates. I have probably been stalking this one […]

你会想到什么?

September 24, 2012September 25, 2012 Third Culture Mama

So, I finally got around to reading Ayo the Chinese children’s book entitled 你会想到什么?with the awkward English translation: “What would you imagine?”. We borrowed it from the library the other […]

Schedule and language update

September 5, 2012September 5, 2012 Third Culture Mama

Re-reading a few of my latest posts sure make me think that much of parenting child number one is very much experimental. Not at all accidental, but so very experimental. […]

Élise meets Liza meets Liese

August 15, 2012August 15, 2012 Third Culture Mama

Unfortunately, Tall Mountain introduced me to the hick (TM’s qualifier), depressing Liza and Henry’s bucket hole the other day. Liza officially shattered my image of sweet Élise gallivanting in fields […]

Language experiment

August 8, 2012August 8, 2012 Third Culture Mama

On Sunday, Tall Mountain himself proposed ramping up Ayo’s French exposure by asking me to speak French to him (to papa) when Ayo was around. Up until now, if you […]

On Sophie & Serge

July 16, 2012August 5, 2012 Third Culture Mama

I have wanted to write a blog post about multilingual parenting for a few weeks now. Thanks to an article I read yesterday, written by an exhausted multilingual mother, it […]

  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Recent Posts

  • My English name is Jack.

  • Let the Summer of (multilingual) Reading begin!

  • 5 wonderful new cross-cultural books well worth your time

  • Meet Emily Steele Jackson, author of TCK novel “Home, James”

  • You belong here.

Email Updates

Recent Comments

  • Nadine on This gift of diversity
  • John on “They’re gonna hate you for it”
  • jack buck on NYC with a toddler?
  • Priscilla on Third Culture Kids in marriage: 10 survey results & trends
  • DP Snyder on The case against bilingual books

Categories

Tags

African air travel baby baby food birth books breastfeeding China cloth diapering creative culture shock Europe food France French German Germany injustice jetlag Language list Mandarin marriage meal ideas medical moving multicultural Multilingual OPOL parenting postpartum pregnancy reflections review running schedule spirituality Switzerland TCK transition travel UK USA Women Write31Days

Search

Blogs I follow

  • A midwife on the Path
  • all mussed up
  • Bringing up Baby Bilingual
  • Carrying Wonder
  • European Mama
  • Libby Stephens
  • Panda Mom
  • Purple Phoenix Journey
  • Sinosplice
  • The Front Yard Frontier
  • the piri-piri lexicon
  • Total Immersion – French Style
  • Two Red Scarves
  • Whatevs…
Multicultural Kid Blogs
'Raising multilingual children' blogging carnival
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook