I always knew I wanted to raise my child bilingual. So, when my son was born, I became interested in intentional bilingualism.

The method that resonated with me the most was OPOL – One Parent, One Language. The reason for this approach is to avoid confusing my son and to establish a consistent routine.

However, implementing this approach was not immediate—it took me two and a half years to fully switch to speaking English with my son. The delay was due to my initial lack of confidence and the challenges involved.

For those considering implementing this method, I am sharing my experience.

My 4 phases of implementing intentional bilingualism

At first, we set specific situations where we would speak English. There were four phases:

1. Read English books: When my son was three months old, I began showing him picture books. Initially, they were black and white, then gradually introduced basic colors. Speaking to him in English felt strange at first, but I realized it didn’t matter which language I spoke; he wouldn’t understand it anyway.
2. Speak English only 1:1: Despite working in an English-speaking environment, speaking English in front of my husband was challenging. I feared being judged, so I spoke to my son in English whenever we were alone.
3. Speak English only in the house: Once I got used to speaking English to my son and became comfortable with my voice around my husband (starting by reading books), I began speaking English to him whenever we were at home. The challenge arose when guests visited, and I realized we needed consistent rules to avoid confusing my child.
4. Speak English in the house and outside, excluding meetings with family and friends: By this phase, we felt confident communicating in English in a Polish environment. I noticed my son understood me, which was a significant encouragement. Initially, I questioned myself, but as I saw his reactions and cooperation, I gained confidence.
5. Speak English all the time: When Leoś was two and a half years old, we fully transitioned to English. It became more convenient since I didn’t have to think about when and where to speak which language. Although I expected some questions and maybe criticism, I had to be confident in my decision. In the end, it wasn’t as difficult as I anticipated. My family adjusted and accepted it, and it became more natural for me.

What challenges do I face?

1. My grandparents have difficulty understanding my son: They are not English-speaking, and my son mixes languages, making communication more challenging.
2. Other children might not understand him: If he mixes languages, other children might not understand all his intentions.
3. I miss speaking Polish: For me, English is more business-oriented, connected to my job and self-development. I sometimes lack the vocabulary for very specific topics, like bug descriptions or elements of construction vehicles.

Would I change anything?

Inform your friends and family beforehand: Because I didn’t feel confident enough, I didn’t inform anybody. This resulted in shock when one day I suddenly stopped speaking Polish.

Start strong: I had moments of doubt and laziness when it was just easier for me to speak Polish, which stretched the implementation to two years. Now, I see that it might have been easier to just dive in and do it from the beginning.

Final thoughts

Implementing intentional bilingualism requires being goal-oriented because there will be doubts and challenges. However, the satisfaction it brings and the possibilities it opens are worth the effort.