To be, or not to be...bilingual parents?

Parents face a variety of choices when choosing how to rear their child, and for bilingual parents choosing a language can be a daunting but worthwhile task with myriad benefits. In the 1960s sceptics believed that learning a second language was unhealthy for the human brain, now researchers claim bilingual ability will strengthen the brain and improve focus. Bilinguals are more efficient in resolving mental competition. They’re apparently able to keep languages separate while keeping them both available and active in their minds at the same time. Parents may have concern over their child's speech and comprehension ability with dual languages in the home, but they need not fear. A research on the effects of bilingualism on cognitive development for 4- and 8-year-old children has shown that bilinguals have more advanced ability to solve problems in which there is misleading perceptual information than comparable monolingual children who are otherwise at about the same developmental stage. Another research indicates that the brain's network has an executive control system that uses languages at all times, and the languages get sorted for when they need to be used. This system prevents two languages from becoming mixed up. Thus, the regular use of this executive system, especially by bilinguals, will make it stronger and more efficient. Speaking different languages means you get different frames, different metaphors, and also you’re learning the culture of the language so you get not only different words, but different types of words. Speaking multiple languages will also increase an individual's ability to score better on standardized tests, and also strengthen their memory skills for remembering lists or sequences. Multilinguals tend to be more perceptive to their surroundings, and they can better resist surrounding distractions. Aside from enhanced cognitive development, children who are taught a second language will have a healthier mind when they enter their twilight years. If bilingual parents are trying to decide which language they should speak in their home, with their child, the most strategic decision may be both languages. Speak to your kid in whatever language you want. You won’t be doing him a disservice by speaking to him in both languages. In fact, you are doing him a favour.