Daddy Doesn't Speak French: How He (Still) Supports Our Bilingual Children

June 19, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Education, Reflections on Parenting, French Language Learning

My husband grew up speaking Thai at home, but he's most comfortable speaking English because he was raised in the U.S. (This comfort factor is why he chose to speak English to our children.) His French knowledge is limited to what he's learned in hearing me speak it with our kids, and yet he still manages to support our children's French acquisition in ways I truly appreciate. Here are five awesome ways he supports our children's bilingual development:

When Mothering is a Struggle: On Anger and Forgiveness

March 06, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Reflections on Parenting

My heart is heavy, mes amis, because I yelled at my little ones today--full volume anger about their inability to get along harmoniously while I made dinner. It was an extra-long parenting day since my husband couldn't make it home until bedtime. My children and I had passed the afternoon with violin lessons followed by free play in the pouring rain, but the kitchen was a mess and my fatigue reared up with such harsh words. I apologized and embraced my children, trying to restore those bonds of love, but even though children are able to forgive and move on so much more quickly than adults, we adults know the damage is deeper than they realize.

5 Books that Changed my Parenting: Book 1 (Book Giveaway!)

September 18, 2013 by Michele Cherie in Parenting Books, Reflections on Parenting

In my opinion, there are far too many parenting books: Amazon lists over 43,000 available. I've read a scant two or three dozen of them; about five of those have truly impacted the way that I parent my children. Over the next few weeks I'll profile each of those five books. Read on for more details about today's book and the giveaway.