If you hired a nanny for bilingual language instruction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You really have to consider how you will be able to support the language. I am not a native speaker of spanish but am fluent. We chose spanish because we could support it all the way through with immersion preschool and dual language elementary. I read to my kids in spanish, I spoke spanish with them, and dh spoke english.

My kids were raised in bicultural environment and are fluent, without accents in either language, and very comfortable with both cultures.

There are many levels of fluency and comfort with other cultures, and there is no one right answer for all families.

I know people who only used a nanny for immersion but did not embrace the culture or require their kid to speak in the language. I know kids who had childcare provided by their grandparent (in the target language) who also did not learn to speak and only learned to understand.

Don't worry about the benefits of various languages, but go all in on the one you chose. That is the important part. Being able to understand but not express yourself is a real risk if you don't invest in it.

Go all in on Spanish and don't second guess yourself. With kids, languages are easy come/easy go. Your child WILL forget the language if you aren't committed. The neural flexibility that makes kids learn a language fast is also what makes them forget it too.

Good luck!

OP here. Like I said, we are strongly considering Spanish because I was a Spanish major in college, studied abroad, came pretty close to fluent, etc. The problem is, it's never really helped me in my career or in my DH's career. We're both in finance but mostly everyone speaks English in that field. DH says if we're going to pay more for a bilingual nanny, we should do Chinese like most people are doing (who are doing bilingual language).

[Anonymous]

If China owns the US one day, as you weirdly posit, you won’t be anywhere near the top of the pecking order anymore, so you won’t have to worry about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are not Chinese there is no point in selecting a nanny for Mandarin. If you have no cultural links to another language, Spanish will be the most useful. Many people in the US speak it.

Lot of Manhattanites are paying through the nose for Mandarin speaking nannies.

I’d like to hear one person articulate why this would be a useful thing to learn.

No one ever can.

[Anonymous]

Mandarin is an incredibly difficult language to maintain. I speak mandarin and am still concerned how to sustain it in my children. I also grew up in a bilingual system and I and many of my classmates struggled with mandarin despite having multiple resources and cultural affiliations. If I don’t have any other support besides a mandarin nanny I wouldn’t do it. I agree Spanish is going to be the more useful language in the US. Anecdotally my mandarin has never come in useful during my professional life in the states, they either want native speakers or gasp want to send you to Asia, duh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French. The Africa is the last untapped market and predominantly French speaking.

Speaking Spanish is nothing unusual and Mandarin, while a great, is going to be tapped out.

Wise choice.

[Anonymous]

Russian. All my children went to Russian-immersion preschools and having a home-based caregiver who speaks Russian helps support it. I'm Russian and use only that language to communicate with my children, but every little bit helps.

I agree that you should choose a language that you are able to support in future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:French. The Africa is the last untapped market and predominantly French speaking.

Speaking Spanish is nothing unusual and Mandarin, while a great, is going to be tapped out.

Wise choice.

We also chose French. No nanny, but French immersion school and babysitters. I speak a little and spouse has conversational French. We live in DC and frequently encounter people from francophone countries, so there is some exposure outside of school also. Also, we do French cartoons, books, magazines, etc.

Spanish is now offered after school, and one of us also speaks some Spanish. There won't be the depth of exposure in Spanish anytime soon as there is for French, but hopefully Spanish could be pursued later if there's an interest.

[Anonymous]

I have to admit, I'm surprised the self proclaimed cosmopolitan "elites" of DCUM don't see the value in hiring a bilingual nanny and raising their kids to be at least bilingual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit, I'm surprised the self proclaimed cosmopolitan "elites" of DCUM don't see the value in hiring a bilingual nanny and raising their kids to be at least bilingual.

+ 1

This is a huge thing in Manhattan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit, I'm surprised the self proclaimed cosmopolitan "elites" of DCUM don't see the value in hiring a bilingual nanny and raising their kids to be at least bilingual.

What are you talking about? Everyone on this thread has chosen a nanny or some other means to ensure that their kids are bilingual.

Also, nannies/au pairs that speak to kids in their native language are extremely common where I live in NW DC--Spanish is most common, followed by French, Portuguese, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French. The Africa is the last untapped market and predominantly French speaking.

Speaking Spanish is nothing unusual and Mandarin, while a great, is going to be tapped out.

The Africa? Is this like the Ukraine or the Argentine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:French. The Africa is the last untapped market and predominantly French speaking.

Speaking Spanish is nothing unusual and Mandarin, while a great, is going to be tapped out.

The Africa? Is this like the Ukraine or the Argentine?

Yes, but with fewer grammar Nazi's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are not Chinese there is no point in selecting a nanny for Mandarin. If you have no cultural links to another language, Spanish will be the most useful. Many people in the US speak it.

Lot of Manhattanites are paying through the nose for Mandarin speaking nannies.

Why?

Business in China is conducted in English. You don’t have any sort of edge in terms of getting a job by speaking mandarin.

Spanish helps you in your daily life in the US, and it helps with business domestically and abroad (far less bilingual businessmen in Spanish speaking countries).

I got my job in DC since I’m proficient in Spanish.

I am a corporate attorney that learned Mandarin to work in China. I think people keep telling themselves business is conducted in English to feel less insecure. Or people are speaking English to you because they know you not speak Chinese. Even if you don't become fluent in Chinese, it gives you an edge to know the language because it shows an understanding of the culture and a level of respect towards your Chinese associates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are not Chinese there is no point in selecting a nanny for Mandarin. If you have no cultural links to another language, Spanish will be the most useful. Many people in the US speak it.

Lot of Manhattanites are paying through the nose for Mandarin speaking nannies.

Why?

Business in China is conducted in English. You don’t have any sort of edge in terms of getting a job by speaking mandarin.

Spanish helps you in your daily life in the US, and it helps with business domestically and abroad (far less bilingual businessmen in Spanish speaking countries).

I got my job in DC since I’m proficient in Spanish.

I am a corporate attorney that learned Mandarin to work in China. I think people keep telling themselves business is conducted in English to feel less insecure. Or people are speaking English to you because they know you not speak Chinese. Even if you don't become fluent in Chinese, it gives you an edge to know the language because it shows an understanding of the culture and a level of respect towards your Chinese associates.

Yeah but you work in China. Honestly how many DCUM posters want their children to work in China? All asides it’s very very far away from your families when there are plenty of opportunities in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:French. The Africa is the last untapped market and predominantly French speaking.

Speaking Spanish is nothing unusual and Mandarin, while a great, is going to be tapped out.

The Africa? Is this like the Ukraine or the Argentine?

No, Dear, it’s a typo.