My daughter is almost two years old. She's becoming a big sister soon, as a sibling is due later this year. She wakes up calling for my wife and me. We talk to her in English, whether it's play time or feeding. And she also picks up some Bahasa Indonesia phrases from everyone around her. Privately, I talk to her in Cebuano since it's the language I used back home in Cebu in the central Philippines.
Yes, I have to admit that my English is not perfect either. I stumble here and there. But I can articulate what I'm trying to say and understand what the other person is saying in English. English is still English, whether it sounds and feels different or not. It's the default lingua franca of the international community, and people speak it to varying degrees of proficiency and comprehension.
Having said that, I want my kid to be multilingual, with a strong foundation in English to begin her life. Language is not just a way to communicate but a way to get ahead in life. Speaking the base language would mean she could communicate with almost 500 million Filipinos and Indonesians worldwide. Having English would further increase her capabilities.
But I know what's waiting for her. I've seen it. I've lived it.
