Spanish Nursery Rhymes That Tune Your Tongue
A lullaby on the Malecón One breezy Sunday evening I perched on Santo Domingo’s Malecón, rocking my eight-month-old daughter, Sofía, while the Caribbean slapped the seawall in lazy applause. A young Dominican mother next to me began humming “Los Pollitos Dicen.” Instantly Sofía’s sleepy head lifted. She gurgled the onomatopoeic pío pío pío, her very […]
Teaching “Please” and “Thank You” in Two Languages: Raising Truly Bilingual Politeness
The day “gracias” collided with “thanks” Two summers ago in Santo Domingo, my four-year-old son Liam sprinted toward an ice-cream cart, shouted “¡Quiero paleta!”, grabbed a strawberry bar, and turned to leave without a single “please” or “thank you.” The vendor’s raised eyebrow said everything. Before I could correct him, an elderly señora behind us […]
Setting Screen-Time Rules in Spanish: Negotiating Limits Without Drama
Why “Cinco Minutos Más” Became My Daily Boss Battle Last month in Medellín, my daughter Emma discovered Minecraft in Spanish and decided that building pixel castles outranked brushing her teeth. When I told her time was up, she fired back the classic kid plea: “¡Cinco minutos más, porfa!” Five more minutes turned into twenty, tempers […]
Transitioning Kids into Local Schools: Comfort Phrases that Ease First-Day Nerves
A backpack full of jitters—and two magic words Last August Emma, our seven-year-old, clutched her new mermaid backpack outside the school gate in Santo Domingo and whispered, “Dad, I’m scared.” I bent down and rehearsed the Spanish comfort phrase we’d practiced: “Respira hondo; todo va a estar bien.” Breathe deep; everything will be okay. She […]
Bilingual Chore Charts: Turning Household Tasks into Everyday Spanish Lessons
The laundry basket that spoke two languages One Saturday in Santo Domingo, my living room looked like a piñata had exploded—blocks, beach towels, and Emma’s glitter glue everywhere. My Dominican wife, Carla, raised an eyebrow that clearly meant “Organízate, James.” I grabbed a marker and sketched a quick chore chart on a whiteboard: “Emma—pick up […]
Reading Spanish Bedtime Stories: Intonation Tips for Soothing Nights and Stronger Fluency
The night the frog became a cacique Last month in Santiago de los Caballeros my daughter Emma insisted I read her favorite picture book, “El Sapo Que Quería Ser Rey.” I was half-asleep myself, so I slipped into monotone mode. Halfway through, Emma tugged my sleeve: “Papi, el sapo suena aburrido.” Translation: Dad, you’re ruining […]
Dental & Doctor Visit Spanish for Little Ones
The day Emma bit the tongue depressor Last February in Santo Domingo my three-year-old, Emma, developed a cough right as I was about to board a flight to Bogotá. I postponed the trip and hustled her to the neighborhood pediatrician. Emma loves pretending to be a tiger; unfortunately, she sank her teeth into the doctor’s […]
Finding a Babysitter: Key Interview Questions in Spanish
A late-night scramble in Santo Domingo Two summers ago my partner and I scored last-minute tickets to a Juan Luis Guerra concert. Euphoric—until we realized no trusted family member was free to watch our two-year-old, Emma. We opened WhatsApp and frantically typed “¿Conoces a una niñera disponible esta noche?” to every neighbor on the block. […]
Helping with Homework: Explaining Math Vocabulary Without Losing Your Cool
A Tuesday night word problem meltdown A few months ago, my Colombian partner’s twelve-year-old nephew, Julián, plopped his workbook on our kitchen table in Santo Domingo. He looked up with those wide “tío-ayúdame” eyes and groaned, “No entiendo qué quiere decir hallar el múltiplo común más pequeño.” My inner math geek lit up; my Spanish […]
Navigating Parent-Teacher Meetings in Spanish—Scripts, Vocabulary, and Cultural Clues
The day my daughter’s teacher switched to rapid-fire Spanish Last November, fresh coffee in hand, I strolled into the colegio in Santo Domingo expecting a quick five-minute “todo bien” chat about my seven-year-old niece, Olivia. Instead, her profesora unleashed a torrent of Dominican Spanish: “La niña va súper, pero hay que reforzar la ortografía porque […]