Victor & Natalia

From: 🇷🇺 Russia + 🇺🇦 Ukraine

Ages: 36 & 34

Languages Spoken: Russian, Ukrainian

Current Location: Warsaw, Poland

Child: Dasha, age 5

Story: Raising a trilingual child in exile. Dasha speaks Polish with neighbours, Ukrainian with Mum, and Russian with Dad. Family is central to preserving heritage.

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¿Puedes describir los antecedentes lingüísticos de tu familia?
Victor is Russian, Natalia is Ukrainian. We met through work years ago and have always communicated in a blend of both languages. Since moving to Poland, we’ve added a third language into the mix—Polish.

¿Qué idiomas utilizáis, cómo y dónde y cómo decidisteis esa mezcla?
Natalia speaks Ukrainian with Dasha, Victor speaks Russian, and she picks up Polish naturally from her environment—nursery, playgrounds, neighbours. It’s a three-language household, but we try to keep the roles clear.

¿Por qué es importante para usted enseñar esos idiomas?
It’s not just about words. Each language carries history, emotion, and identity—especially for us. In today’s political climate, it’s a quiet act of resilience and love to pass on both Russian and Ukrainian heritage.

¿Cuándo decidió por primera vez criar a su hijo de forma bilingüe?
The plan was always to raise her bilingually, but once we moved to Poland, it naturally became trilingual. We embraced that opportunity even though it came from difficult circumstances.

¿Seguiste una estrategia específica (por ejemplo, OPOL, ML@H) o evolucionó naturalmente?
We use a loose OPOL approach—One Parent, One Language. Natalia speaks only Ukrainian, Victor only Russian. We don’t teach Polish actively—it just happens through immersion.

¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores preocupaciones al principio y cómo se desarrollaron con el tiempo?
Our main fear was confusion or language mixing. But children are smarter than we give them credit for. Dasha knows exactly which language to use with whom.

¿Qué te ayudó a mantener la constancia en el uso de ambos idiomas? ¿Cuál es tu rutina?
Consistency in routines helps. Natalia does bedtime in Ukrainian, Victor handles breakfast and walks in Russian. Mealtimes are flexible, but we each stick to our language throughout the day.

¿Ha cambiado su enfoque a medida que su hijo crece?
A bit. At first, we were stricter, but now we’re more focused on keeping the emotional connection to the languages rather than perfection. Polish has grown naturally, so we’ve leaned more into preserving Russian and Ukrainian.

¿Cómo maneja usted la resistencia o cuando su hijo prefiere un idioma?
There are weeks when Polish dominates. Instead of forcing her, we increase exposure—more calls to grandparents, favourite cartoons dubbed in Russian or Ukrainian, even simple cooking sessions using our languages.

¿Ha experimentado algún momento de avance o de orgullo en su desarrollo del lenguaje?
Absolutely. She once told a story to her doll in all three languages, switching naturally depending on the character. It was beautiful to witness her internalise each language’s personality.

¿Qué papel ha desempeñado su familia extendida o su comunidad al apoyar (o desafiar) sus metas?
Our families are deeply supportive. They send voice notes, songs, and gifts. We’re not part of a big expat community, but our local Polish friends are curious and respectful of our trilingual setup.

¿Tienes una anécdota divertida o inesperada de tu experiencia bilingüe? Nos encantaría escucharla.
Dasha asked a Polish neighbour, “Do you want вареники o пельмени today?”—like they were common knowledge. The neighbour had no idea what she meant but smiled politely anyway.

¿Alguna vez has sentido presión (interna o externa) por tus objetivos bilingües?
Yes. Sometimes it feels like there’s not enough time in the day to give equal space to both heritage languages. We feel pressure to “do it right,” especially being far from home.

¿Sientes que tu hijo se conecta emocional o culturalmente con ambos idiomas?
Yes. She calls Ukrainian the “language of songs” and Russian the “language of stories.” Each has its own space in her heart, and that’s exactly what we hoped for.

¿Cuál ha sido el desafío más inesperado?
Navigating the politics of language. Some people question why we’re still teaching Russian. But to us, it’s not about politics—it’s about family and roots.

¿Qué es lo que más te ha sorprendido de forma positiva?
How naturally Dasha can move between languages depending on who she’s with. It’s like she’s tuning a radio—no effort, just instinct.

¿Qué tecnología u otros recursos utiliza para apoyar el aprendizaje de idiomas?
We use audiobooks in both Ukrainian and Russian, interactive language games, and video calls with grandparents. YouTube has also been a helpful tool—but we always monitor what she’s watching.

¿Los entornos escolares o de cuidado infantil han ayudado o dificultado el proceso?
Nursery is entirely in Polish, but the teachers have been great about supporting her multilingualism. They even let her bring in Ukrainian books for show-and-tell.

Si pudieras hacer una cosa diferente ¿qué sería?
We’d start recording ourselves telling family stories earlier. These little moments are gold, and it would’ve been nice to have a library of them.

¿Qué consejo le darías a otros padres que están empezando?
Don’t be afraid to take a flexible approach. It’s not about rigid methods—it’s about exposure, love, and making language part of daily life. And don’t worry about mistakes. Just speak.

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