'Spotlight to Nightlight': Bilingual Kids

Many celebrity kids are inheriting more than just fame and fortune from mom and dad; they are also carrying on the culture and language of their famous parents. Almost 20% of Americans are bi or multilingual. Some of the stars keeping up with the trend include Salma Hayek, Matthew McConaughey, Tiger Woods, Madonna, and Heidi Klum. On this episode of "Spotlight to Nightlight," host Ali Landry talks to Paola Turbay (ABC Family's "The Secret Life of The American Teenager," TNT's "The Closer," and NBC's "Meteor: Path to Destruction")about growing up in both the U.S. and Colombia, and raising her kids to be bilingual.




Ali's Take
When I met my husband, Alejandro, I found out that his parents speak only Spanish. As our relationship progressed I knew that I had to take it upon myself to learn the language. It was scary and exciting and I wanted to make the effort. I thought that the best way to show his parents how much I cared about their culture (and their son) was to enroll in a Spanish school in Mexico to study and learn their native tongue. I know, I could have taken Spanish class anywhere, but I figured that if I was going to REALLY learn the language, I should LIVE it. So, I moved to San Miguel Allende, a small Spanish colonial town in central Mexico. I rented a house and enrolled in classes for a month. His parents were so thrilled about it that that they wanted to come and live with me for that month ... we would be roommates! It actually turned out great. We cooked and shopped together, and in the evenings we would go into the town square and listen to local music. It was magical. In the beginning, I only knew how to say "Hola," but by the end of that trip I had a basic vocabulary, was conjugating verbs, and had started a great relationship with Alejandro's parents. On the last day of school my husband flew down and proposed. Needless to say, my trip to Mexico was well worth it!  

I grew up in a family that spoke French but, unfortunately, I never really learned that language. I didn't want that to happen with Estela. I didn't want her to ask me one day why we hadn't taught her the language her family spoke. So when we had Estela we knew she was going to learn to speak Spanish from day one. In the beginning, my husband, our nanny, all of Alejandro's friends, and I spoke to her only in Spanish. She definitely grabbed hold of the language and for a while she did not learn much English. Kids are so smart. She quickly surpassed me in her Spanish skills and there were times when I couldn't understand what she was saying to me! At that point, I knew it was time for me to start talking to her in English and to get myself back into Spanish class! I now speak mostly English with her while Alejandro speaks mostly Spanish and it seems to be working out great. She automatically responds to each of us in those languages. It amazes me how easily children can pick up languages and switch between them. Now she speaks both languages so well that she can communicate with both sides of the family. One day, we hope to live both in Mexico and the States, so I am thrilled that she will be completely prepared and fluent -- and I plan to be as well. ¡Deseo Suerte! (Wish me luck!)

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