Sara & Mateo

From: 🇨🇴 Colombia + 🇺🇸 USA

Ages: 33 & 35

Languages Spoken: Spanish, English

Current Location: Atlanta, USA

Child: Isabella, age 4

Story: They use English in public and Spanish at home. Storytime alternates nightly, and Isabella switches depending on her mood!

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¿Puedes describir los antecedentes lingüísticos de tu familia?
Sara is originally from Bogotá, Colombia and grew up speaking Spanish at home and learning English at school. I’m (Mateo) is from the U.S. and a native English speaker. I learned some Spanish in college but really improved after marrying Sara and living in a bilingual household.

¿Qué idiomas utilizáis, cómo y dónde y cómo decidisteis esa mezcla?
We speak Spanish at home and English outside, by design. It’s a simple way to balance both languages. Sara speaks mostly Spanish with Isabella, and Mateo does a bit of both depending on context. Storytime is split—one night English, the next night Spanish.

¿Por qué es importante para usted enseñar esos idiomas?
For Sara, Spanish is her heritage—family, identity, music, food. For Mateo, bilingualism is about giving Isabella an advantage in life and deeper connections to her Colombian family. We want her to feel confident in both worlds.

¿Cuándo decidió por primera vez criar a su hijo de forma bilingüe?
We agreed on it while Sara was pregnant. It wasn’t even a debate—we knew we wanted Isabella to grow up speaking both languages from the start.

¿Seguiste una estrategia específica (por ejemplo, OPOL, ML@H) o evolucionó naturalmente?
It’s mostly Minority Language at Home (ML@H). Since English surrounds us, we knew we needed to create a strong Spanish foundation at home. It’s not strict, but intentional.

¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores preocupaciones al principio y cómo se desarrollaron con el tiempo?
Our biggest fear was that Isabella would reject Spanish once she started preschool. But it turns out she loves having her “secret language” at home and proudly shows it off when family visits.

¿Qué te ayudó a mantener la constancia en el uso de ambos idiomas? ¿Cuál es tu rutina?
We keep things predictable. Spanish is the language of meals, playtime, and cuddles. English happens naturally outside—at school, playdates, doctor visits. Storytime helps bridge both. Mateo reads English books, Sara reads Spanish ones.

¿Ha cambiado su enfoque a medida que su hijo crece?
Yes. As Isabella became more verbal, we started doing “language days.” On Saturdays we do everything in Spanish—even Mateo tries his best—and Sundays we relax with English. It keeps things fun and balanced.

¿Cómo maneja usted la resistencia o cuando su hijo prefiere un idioma?
We go with the flow but gently redirect. If she answers in English, we repeat the sentence in Spanish and ask her to try. No pressure, just steady encouragement.

¿Ha experimentado algún momento de avance o de orgullo en su desarrollo del lenguaje?
Many! But one that stands out—Isabella once translated a sentence from English to Spanish for Sara’s mum on a video call without being prompted. We were floored.

¿Qué papel ha desempeñado su familia extendida o su comunidad al apoyar (o desafiar) sus metas?
Sara’s family is all-in—they only speak Spanish with her. Mateo’s parents are supportive, though they don’t speak Spanish themselves. They’re learning a few words through Isabella, which is sweet.

¿Tienes una anécdota divertida o inesperada de tu experiencia bilingüe? Nos encantaría escucharla.
Isabella once said “Estoy ready” when we were heading out. It’s Spanglish, sure, but she said it with confidence. We all laughed, and now it’s kind of our family catchphrase.

¿Alguna vez has sentido presión (interna o externa) por tus objetivos bilingües?
Yes. Especially when others say things like “She’s in the U.S.—she just needs English.” But we stay firm. Spanish is part of who she is, and we won’t let that slip away.

¿Sientes que tu hijo se conecta emocional o culturalmente con ambos idiomas?
Absolutely. She gets excited for Colombian holidays, sings both Spanish and English songs, and switches languages naturally depending on who she’s with.

¿Cuál ha sido el desafío más inesperado?
Finding enough time to immerse her in Spanish when most of the day—school, friends, outings—is in English. We’ve had to be more proactive than we expected.

¿Qué es lo que más te ha sorprendido de forma positiva?
How proud Isabella is of speaking Spanish. She often corrects our pronunciation (especially Mateo’s!) and loves teaching words to her friends.

¿Qué tecnología u otros recursos utiliza para apoyar el aprendizaje de idiomas?
We use the “Canticos” app, YouTube for Spanish nursery rhymes, and digital library books from Colombia. Also, video calls with abuelos every weekend make a big difference.

¿Los entornos escolares o de cuidado infantil han ayudado o dificultado el proceso?
Mostly neutral. They don’t discourage bilingualism, but they don’t support it either. So we’ve had to create a strong home environment to counterbalance the English-heavy outside world.

Si pudieras hacer una cosa diferente ¿qué sería?
Start recording Sara’s bedtime stories. They’re little treasures, and it would be amazing to save them for the future.

¿Qué consejo le darías a otros padres que están empezando?
Start early, keep it fun, and don’t panic if progress feels slow. Kids absorb more than you realise. It’s not about perfection—it’s about making the language part of everyday life.

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