Most of us took a foreign language in high school and probably even college.  Many of us need practice and reminders in that foreign language now.   My father is from New Jersey and my mother is Cuban, as is her entire side of the family. They met here in the states when my mother was sent here for school.  I grew up speaking both Spanish and English around my family, but when we moved away from family for a job transfer, we spoke less and less Spanish at home.   I took four years in high school, and continued into college.   You’d think I’d be fluent, right?

Well, I have forgotten so much.  At family reunions, it comes rushing back into my mind, but those are few and far between now, as we are spread out all over the country.  I am ashamed to say that I need a serious refresher in the Spanish language.  I can put together very few sentences now.

I’ll come back to that in a moment.

I have too many books.  I have books for toddlers and young children, elementary school aged children, and middle schoolers, as well as many adult classics.  Having taught English-Language Arts and Ancient World History, I have collected a variety of books on writing and history as well. As a potential “Nona” I am already planning and preparing books to read to a grandbaby during the early and formative years.

But still, when I’m in (a LONG) line at Marshalls,  I find myself picking up MORE BOOKS.  When I’m shopping on Amazon (too often), I peek at the children’s books and my finger just clicks “add to cart”.  Es un problema.  

Then I had an idea.  Maybe I can use my problem to teach a grandbaby and reteach myself!  There are so many of our favorite little stories in other languages.   I started looking on Amazon, and there they were!  I found Are You My Mother (?Eres mi Mama?), Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Cabeza, Hombros, Rodillas y Deditas de los Pies), and Love You Forever (Siempre Te Querre).

If I start reading these stories to a little one from the start, they will start to think and process in both languages.  This can open up all kinds of conversations and opportunities to learn, for both of us!  All kinds of day ideas can come from these stories, focusing on one at a time.

Maybe some of yours or your children’s favorite stories are already translated and printed in Spanish or French or whatever language you’d like to expose your kids to.  What a fun way to refresh your own memory and to help develop young minds; reading but reading the same story in two different languages.  Connections will be made and new cultures will come to life.

And thus my book addiction has a new purpose, uh oh……