This is the story of when I realised what I was doing wrong in my bilingual family.

You know that moment you have (very occasionally!) when everything just clicks? That happened to me one sunny afternoon in Madrid, many years ago – more than I’d like to admit. I was at the summer party for our international playgroup at the Retiro park, watching my kids play, and thinking about the other bilingual families around us.

One family was mixing Spanish and English in the same sentence like it was no big deal. Another mum had said to me she didn’t care if her daughter ever learned to read or speak properly in Spanish, because they planned to move away in a couple of years. 

A dad told me how he had just signed up his eight year old for the official Cambridge English exams.  And then there was this other family speaking to their child in Chinese, and she only ever answered back in Spanish. It was fascinating!

I felt this wave of confusion. Here I was, with a teaching background and a love for languages, and I was struggling to figure out the “right” way to raise my bilingual kids. I’d been reading all this research and academic theories about bilingual parenting, but it felt so overwhelming and hard to apply to our daily lives.

Then it hit me – there is no one “right” way. Every family is different. What mattered was finding what worked best for our family. We needed to define our motives, set our goals, and consider our kids’ personalities and needs.

I think that’s when the first idea for the Bilingual Roadmap came to me. I wanted to create something that would help families navigate their own bilingual journey without feeling overwhelmed by one-size-fits-all advice. A guide or method that would empower them to make informed decisions based on solid research, and see real progress.

But this wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment idea. It’s been a really long time in the making. Over the years, through my storytelling and theatre company, I’ve run countless language learning events, worked with thousands of teachers and children, and created hands-on workshops, competitions and escape rooms. I’ve gained incredible insights into the different ways of language learning, language development, and interests of children from ages 0 to 18. All these experiences and ideas have contributed to the Bilingual Roadmap.

Fast forward to today, and I’m so proud of how the Bilingual Roadmap has helped so many families, including mine. My kids are now confident and multilingual young adults, and our home is a happy mix of languages and cultures.

So, if you’re feeling lost, overwhelmed, or don’t know how to even start on your bilingual journey, remember this: there’s no single path to success. It’s about finding what works best for your family and embracing your own unique approach to creating a bilingual home.

The Bilingual Roadmap I have developed is a innovative method which enables you to discover your deepest motivations, goals and the best possible strategy for your family. I can help you with personalised support, through my online course at your own pace, or with my book,  Fluent Families: A Roadmap to Your Bilingual Home.