Essay by Duso Zoya.

Pros and cons of bringing up in multilingual families.

Nowadays, with cultures and languages easily mixing, bilingual families are no longer rare. Our neighbors or
relatives may turn out to be one of them.
I think the differences in language, culture, and customs affect the lives of such families, as both sides have
to show more patience and understanding to each other.
How do children grow up in these families? A child born in a bilingual family has a unique opportunity to
speak two native languages at the same time without any effort. We can say that he has two native
languages. Bilingual family, however, very often means that children in it become TCK, or Third Culture Kids.
In addition, he or she is brought up in multicultural environment and various traditions that, undoubtedly,
broaden the worldview and may be helpful in future education and career. A privilege can open those doors
that, otherwise, would have been shut.
However, fluency in two or three languages, though with obvious advantages, may also reveal certain
shortcomings in the life of bi- and trilingual children.
Sometimes a little child struggles to decide in which language to answer his or her parents because, by
choosing the language of one parent, he or she leaves the other out of the conversation. It may be a tough
choice for a child.
School can become the first serious test. It is good that there are international schools in big cities. A child will
be in class with multilingual friends like he or she is. In a regular school, the situation for such an “unusual”
child may be difficult. A child wants to be accepted by his or her peers, wants to be one of them. In order not
to stand out, an “unusual” child begins to hide his second language, maybe even gets shy with one of the
parents who does not speak the language of the majority or gets frustrated with the constant role of an
interpreter.
Being different can be a source of pride or shame.
I believe that people should learn to accept each other, try to understand rather than judge. Some of my
bilingual friends say that interaction with people from a different culture may be an exciting and eye-opening
experience. Sometimes, even your ideas of yourself and your native culture may change and undergo re-
evaluation as a result of such interaction. Children in such communities learn to appreciate and celebrate
every culture, respecting and embracing traditions and customs of their friends.
In addition to this, each person always identifies himself with the society he lives in. We identify ourselves
with our native country, our nationality, and our native language.
However, for a multilingual person, simple questions as "Who are you?” or “What is your nationality?" may
not have simple answers.
These people tend to show a higher level of academic success than their peers but may struggle with self-
identification. Being born in one country, living in another or even travelling from place to place may leave
them with the feeling that they do not have an actual home, a place where they belong and want to return to.
This may lead to restlessness, depression, and behavioral issues. A simple question “Where are you from?”
may be hard for them to answer, as it addresses the inner conflict they are dealing with.
Who, indeed, is this “unusual” person? Are they accepted in a community of foreigners or seen as a foreigner
in the one he was born in?
A healthy approach, however, can help to solve these issues and enable these Third Culture Kids to grow
into cosmopolitan adults enjoying the benefits of their unique life experience.