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    Exposure concerns: OPOL

    @kristyen Could your husband speak to your daughter in English as well and continue speaking to you in Spanish? I remember reading an old study that suggested kids pick up the language much quicker when the language is directed at them, as opposed to being passive listeners
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    2 siblings vs only child learning a second language

    @christianguy2121 You can't dictate what language the kids speak to each other. I know many families with multiple children, mine included, where the kids speak the minority language but they don't speak it to each other 100% of the time. And I think that's okay. I also have a friend who began...
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    OPOL, ML@H, a bunch of (probably crappy) methods I invented, and questions for you more experienced folks from prospective parents

    @acl1 It sounds to me like you're over complicating this whole thing haha why not have both of you speak to your kids in Spanish, and English/Spanish to each other? I think starting to speak to each other exclusively in Spanish would probably not feel natural so it may not last, but with kids...
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    Spent the week with a quadrilingual 5 year old

    @robtarc It's pretty interesting, my neighbors speak a relatively uncommon langauge for where we live, and one day their daughter (she was about 5 at the time) met a friend of mine who also speaks that language. The little girl was in disbelief that anyone other than her parents could speak that...
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    Will this work if nanny does not speak the minority language

    @einspectorfidget Yes they will still learn the minority language. My son attends a daycare in a minority language, my husband and I each speak to him in our respective minority languages, and my husband and I speak English to each other, and somehow my son is able to speak all 3 minority...
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    Names pronounced differently by both parents?

    @peakdixon I don't think it's a problem at all! It's bound to happen with pretty much any name you pick. I knew my son would be hearing his name pronounced differently in 4 languages on a regular basis so I just picked a name that's common enough in all 4 languages to make it a little easier...
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    Is it too late to do OPOL? Baby is 9 months

    @misterxyz I may be an ambitious parent, but if the community language where you live is English, I would encourage your husband to start using Spanish when speaking to your baby now as well. My son was introduced to 2 additional languages (at daycare) when he turned 1 and he seems to be...
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    Non deliberately brought a third language to my stepchild - how do I go from there?

    @charley18 The way I see it, you have the perfect scenario for OPOL and teach the kids 3 languages. Your spouse would speak exclusively language B, you speak exclusively language C, and you don't worry about using language A at home because the kids will learn it regardless. If your focus is...
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    Trilingual toddler (not OPOL) - not sure if we're going in the right direction

    @johnnyhudson Is German that challe ging for kids that young to learn? I've never been exposed to German and I'm genuinely curious since I know not all languages are equally easy for kids to learn. My son and some of my friends' kids around that age have learned a new language within 6 months of...
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    Trilingual toddler (not OPOL) - not sure if we're going in the right direction

    @trevallion Maybe someone who's familiar with the German school system can chime in on how effective their school system is for teaching English. However, at first glance I think an English daycare (if that's an option) may be the simplest solution for you. If it isn't, just to increase your...
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    Managing new words at daycare (< 2 yrs old)

    @anlytcphil We also speak 3 languages at home and we've seen this exact scenario. I just made sure to let the daycare staff know that we speak multiple languages at home (none of which are the daycare language). My son started differentiating the language spoken by each person/context soon...
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    Will childcare share hinder minority language development?

    @aidenb I'll share my experience in case it helps you, I hope it's not too irrelevant. My younger kid (age 2.5) goes to daycare and the older one (5) didn't but he attended a lot of playdates. I've always spoken to them in the minority language ( even at home even though their dad doesnt speak...
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    Asian parent trying to speak Spanish. Feeling judged

    @sholay2011 I agree with everything the other commenter said. If you speak all languages at about the same level, I'd personally choose to focus on the language that I can find the largest local community for. So for example, if there are a lot more people, nannies, events, playgroups etc in...
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    Three languages, can’t do OPOL

    @fayanth I think what a lot of parents do (including myself) for kids who don't know how to read yet is "read" any book in the language of our choice, even if we're making up a totally different story than the original one, as long as the pictures make sense, so it might be an option for you too!
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    Casual exposure two days a week, worth it?

    @sara57 I'm no expert, but given your child's age and the timeline of their exposure, I'm not sure they will retain any of it after their caretaker leaves. That being said, I also wouldn't necessarily ask the person to not speak Portuguese to your child, if it helps them bond and interact with...
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