Bilinguality Reality

I'm all for educational programming. I think the shows on today for preschool-aged children are genius and teach great lessons. Granted some are a little hard to sit through as an adult, but so much better than the Tom and Jerry or Roadrunner shows I grew up on. What were cartoonists thinking?! And though I do let my children indulge in Nick Jr and PBS shows, I do not believe that TV should be my substitute in teaching my children. (This being said as Evan watches Backyardigans while I blog - touché).

I have a friend who recently was bragging about her children (who doesn't brag about their kids? - so I don't mean to use bragging with an ill connotation). She was telling me that they have been learning Spanish. I can't remember the exact context she put it in, but I had the impression that she has been teaching them and laboring with them in learning the language. Then she said that her children are also going to start learning Chinese. "Wow, really? How do you know Chinese?" I asked. "Oh, I don't know Chinese, but there is a new program on Nick Jr that teaches Chinese." What! Are you kidding me!? I couldn't believe that she was referring to TV shows. And you guessed it - the Spanish her kids are learning? - taught by Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go themselves.

The other day I was changing Evan's diaper and asked him to lift his legs up. And then to my astonishment he said UP in Chinese! To be specific, this is what he said, "Up in Chinese." :)