Multilingual Parenting & Education
Reflections on raising a child with Chinese, English, and German, as well as school, language learning, childhood, and family education across cultures.
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I Used to Think Gifted Children Were Supposed to Be Top Students. Then I Realized I Was Wrong.
Gifted children do not always fit the familiar image of effortless academic success. This essay explores how high intelligence, sensitivity, social difficulties and gaming can be connected—and why understanding a child’s needs may matter more than simply correcting their behaviour. Continue reading
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Why Do So Many Children Develop Two Native-Language Systems, Only to End Up with One?
Why do some children develop two native-language systems early in life, only to retain one as they grow older? This essay explores how language survives through continued use, relationships and everyday life—and why even a deeply rooted language can gradually… Continue reading
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In a Multilingual Family, Languages Do Not Compete — Each Has Its Place
In a multilingual family, languages are not simply stronger or weaker versions of one another. Each language can connect a child to a different person, relationship and part of life, and that emotional place may matter just as much as… Continue reading
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Many Children Don’t Suddenly Get Worse at Chinese — Their Chinese Simply Stops Growing
Many multilingual children do not suddenly become worse at their minority language; the language simply stops growing when it no longer has a stable place in everyday life. Drawing on several families’ experiences, this essay explores why short-term immersion and… Continue reading
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What Does It Actually Feel Like to Have Two Mother Tongues? My Husband Used a Vivid Metaphor: It’s Like Opening Drawers
Having two mother tongues is not simply a matter of speaking two languages fluently. It means being able to access each language directly, without first translating from another—like opening the right drawer for a particular person, relationship, or situation. Through… Continue reading
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Why Do So Many Mothers Eventually Conclude That a Child Can Have Only One Mother Tongue?
Many Chinese-speaking mothers in Germany watch their children use less and less Chinese after starting kindergarten or school, while German gradually becomes the easiest and most natural language for everyday life. This often leads parents to conclude that a child… Continue reading
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Can There Really Be Only One Mother Tongue?
A debate in the comments made me reconsider whether a person can truly have only one mother tongue. Multilingual children may not be translating from one language into another at all, but accessing different language systems directly and naturally. The… Continue reading
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After More Than Twenty Years in Germany, My Husband Said I Was “Not Integrated Enough” — and I Felt Relieved
After more than twenty years in Germany, my husband still thinks I have not integrated enough. But I have slowly come to see that the distance I kept may also have helped me preserve my Chinese language, cultural memory, and… Continue reading
Jane Sonnenschein | A Chinese Way of Seeing 