Let's be honest, raising bilingual kids isn't the string of picture-perfect moments we all see on Instagram.

For many of us — especially native English speakers — it can feel more like a long, heavy chain of internet searches, Google Translate visits, and shipping fee sticker shock. And just when you’re about to give up and get off the trial-and-error carousel, your four year old corrects your French pronunciation while refusing to put on shoes. In an instant, you’re reminded that it’s all worthwhile.

Our journey started with a lucky break at Mon Petit Jardin, a French immersion daycare in Dedham, Massachusetts that changed everything for our family. From day one, Maman Nachida created such a warm, engaging environment that learning French became Will's daily adventure. (He even learned a bit of Arabic along the way, which was a big plus in our family!) We watched in awe as he started seeing the world through a bilingual lens.

The Unfiltered Truth About Bilingual Parenting

We didn't start as language experts — and we're far from experts now. We were just two parents who grew up with multiple languages and cultures and knew we wanted the same for our kids. We spent a long time sort of out in the wilderness, searching for ways to reinforce language learning at home. But by the time Will turned four (“I have four years now!” he’d remind us) and Max came along, we were living in a wonderful linguistic circus where English and French dance together daily in ways we never expected.

Real Strategies That Actually Work (learned from our many, many mistakes)

1. Make It Ridiculously Fun

• Les Comptines des P’tits Loups has become our car soundtrack (if you see a Volvo driving around with everyone howling along, that's probably us)
• The kids have developed a whole comedy routine imitating our accents - apparently we sound nothing like actual French speakers, and they find this HILARIOUS
• Family game night has gone bilingual: Harry Potter Trivia en Français is currently the house favorite
• Charades has led to some of our funniest moments - like when Max makes animal sounds the French way and gets frustrated when we don't understand that "coin coin" is obviously a duck. (We're still learning that animals speak different languages too!)

2. Embrace the Daily Surprises

• The time we waited an hour to meet Tigger at Disneyland in California, only to have both kids launch into rapid-fire French questions - because of course if they read about him in French, he must speak French! Tigger was...confused.
  
• The confusion when they invent their own hybrid words that somehow make perfect sense to them but leave us completely stumped.
• Those moments when we have absolutely no idea what our kids are asking for, or even what language they're asking in, but somehow dinner still makes it to the table.

3. Build Your Support System

• Find other parents who get why you're celebrating that your child just ordered "un pain au chocolat" without hesitation. (We’ve found local Francophile groups via Facebook almost everywhere we’ve lived.)
• Connect with families who understand the daily wins and confusion. Even in the smallest communities, you can almost always find a few other intrepid souls (we’re out there; trust us!). And social media can create community just about anywhere these days.
• Join a network (or create one if you have to!) that helps you navigate the ups and downs of raising tiny linguists. Check out your closest Alliance Français for leads.

Want a peek into our everyday chaos? Let us know if you can relate!

• Max can somehow count to 50 in French, but  “eleventeen” pops in somewhere any time he gets past 10 in English. (Bilingual brains work in mysterious ways!)
• The great windshield wiper incident: Max kept asking Sara something she couldn't understand until Will jumped in to translate "pourquoi tu as mis les essuie-glaces?" Turns out our four-year-old was asking why the windshield wipers were on... in perfect French. Meanwhile, I had to ask what "essuie-glaces" meant! (Fun fact: he learned this word dancing to Moussieur Tombola.)
• These moments keep reminding us that our kids aren't just learning a language — they're living in two worlds at once. And often times they navigate them better than we do.

A Little Real Talk

Some days, we nail this bilingual parenting thing. Like when Will and Max spontaneously translate for each other or help other kids learn French words at the playground. Other days, we're drinking extra coffee and wondering if anyone actually understands anything happening in our house. But here's what we know for sure: every confused moment, every mixed-up word, every proud breakthrough is worth it.

And speaking of breakthroughs: one of our biggest ones came from establishing solid bilingual bedtime routines. We've put together a detailed guide sharing exactly what worked for our family.

📚 Get Our Bilingual Bedtime Routines Guide

• Already a subscriber? Check your inbox! We just sent the guide to our full email list yesterday.
• Not subscribed yet? Sign up below to receive the guide instantly!     

Your Turn

We'd love to hear from you! Are you on your own bilingual adventure? Just starting to explore the idea? Drop a comment below and tell us about your latest language moment — whether it's a win, a hilarious mishap, or a "wait, what just happened?" story.

Let's build this community together. Because raising bilingual kids might be messy, but it's so much better when we share the journey. Confusion, victories, and all.

Bisous!

Sara & Jason
Bilingual Book Adventurers

P.S. Remember that February brings our opening presale! If you haven’t yet had the chance, sign up for the latest news and updates. We can't wait to share more soon!