Bad move if asking MIL to teach my kid foreign language
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Anonymous
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I am thinking to have my kid to learn a second language, but he does not have any knowledge and can't speak/understand a single word. I & DH can speak that language, but it is not that good and many pronunciation are wrong.
We are debating if I should ask MIL to be the teacher (that language is her home language) over zoom or in person 1-2x a week? Due to pandemic, many of that language school still operates in zoom, and my child's level is too raw, not even qualified to join the beginner level for group zoom learning. I have chatted with a few private tutor doing 1:1 online, they can't barely speak any English, and I don't even know how they could communicate to my kid over zoom if we use them..... MIL can speak English and we live close each other. BUT, we are not close due to DH has a complicated relationship with MIL. I don't want to talk about it too much, but it is DH still resents his parents' unfair treatment and parenting style to him growing up before he moved out at 18 to college. He probably prefers me to do zoom over in person because he does not want to see his mom. I am not that close to MIL because it is just we don't click but I am fine with her. And, I know that MIL would love to teach her grandchild that language because she has mentioned this long time ago, and she used to be a teacher before she retires. The reason I am still hesitating because I think I can't say or complain anything to her teaching method if I see something that does not work well BECAUSE she is my MIL. And, that may cause more harm to this complicated relationship which I think it is not worth it. Have you ever using relatives or family member to teach foreign language to your kid? How did that go? |
Anonymous
| Sounds like a bad idea. |
Anonymous
| My child speaks more Spanish at home than I did growing up, but it’s due to actual school courses rather than relatives. |
Anonymous
| With those dynamics, I would say it is not a good idea. Perhaps, he can practice with her later when he has some grasp of the language. |
Anonymous
| This is a terrible idea. |
Anonymous
Yes, this. |
Anonymous
| Your child will never learn if it's not everyday and there's nobody at home who speaks the language. Plus, the fact DH and his mom are estranged, it's a terrible idea. |
Anonymous
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Not a good idea. If you already know the language why can't you use this to start teaching your child and learn proper pronunciation as you go. There are so many CD's, youtube video's etc to learn. Find one for kids.
Find out when the language school is going to start again. Could you start with beginners and then repeat if need be. You could even get kids TV programmes as a starting point after the child starts to learn. Are you talking in your language at home? Do you tell your child what things are in your language? Honestly this could be a fun thing to do as a family and you could learn with your child as you go. |
Anonymous
+1 Also, how old is your kid? And what is the language? If it's something like Spanish that is easier to teach and taught in schools or is this a language with a very specific dialect? Not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze. Maybe focus on tbe cultural aspect (food, traditions, etc) and not worry so much about speaking the language. |
Anonymous
| I would not ask someone to teach it, as in a formal class. But would welcome them to speak it with my child. |
Anonymous
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What is Mil's relationship with your kid? Do they see each other a lot? Get along?
Since you and Dh don't like to be around her I assume you've kept your kid distant from grandma too, no? |
Anonymous
| Young kids learn a language best via total immersion so unless your Mil will be around 24/7 truly learning a foreign language will be a dead end for you |