Peas, por favor

The other day, Max was whining about something at the dinner table.

Me: "Can you please use your big boy words to tell me what you want?"

Max: "Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?"

Me: "Please what?"

Max: "Please, por favor?"

Now, before you go off thinking that my son is a bilingual genius, let me tell you about a little character called Skippyjon Jones. Skippyjon is a Siamese cat with a very large head who thinks he is a chihuahua. The author of the books likes to throw in random Spanish phrases, and apparently Max has started to pick up on them. In Skippyjon's latest adventure, he goes to ancient Egypt, where mummies "rest in peas". Follow? So Skippito goes on a hunt for these amazing peas while his friends, the Chimichangos Pack, stand by chanting "Peas por favor! Peas por favor!" Apparently Max thought they were saying "Please, por favor" and decided that was the response I was looking for!

I would love for our kids to be bilingual. I think that our country is waaaaay behind in that regard. Spanish would sure be the most practical, but I wouldn't care if they wanted to learn Chinese or Swahili! Being able to communicate in two (or more) languages broadens your ability to think- there are some thoughts that can simply be expressed better in one language versus another. It also opens up possibilities that aren't available to someone who only knows their native tongue. Our world is getting smaller every day, and not everyone in the world speaks English. Lets prepare our kids for the world they will live in!