Does anyone have any experience, advice or insights into bilingualism? Extending the topic - Are there any notable psychological or educational advantages or disadvantages to bilingualism for children?
I had the luxury of growing up in areas of the US that are predominantly hispanic. But even still I can only really get by with what I call "restaurant spanish." The problem is my father didn't instill in us the importance of making us bi-lingual. He regrets this very much now. In fact his own mother, who is of direct German-Irish descent, taught me more Spanish growing up than he did or even my Ecuadorian grandfather.
My bother-in-law is Cuban, so my nieces and nephews are already being groomed as bi-lingual children.
My point is that being that you are married to an Argentine woman, the best way to do this is starting them off as young as possible, as children are little sponges ready to soak up an incalculable amount of stimuli. Having your wife speak to the child in both Spanish and English is the best way.
My father is self-taught in Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, French, and a few other languages. But he's dedicated to it and he enjoys learning it. You most likely won't have that same dedication in a youngster. So the easiest way is just talking to them from the time they are little. I would get started on that immediately to maximize success. At 3 years old he's still young enough to easily retain this information.
"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. " Thomas Paine
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