Learning to talk is probably one of the greatest milestones in a child’s development. Based on my experience and research, focusing on one language helps the process. I guess, consistency in the names for all the objects and concepts the child encounters every day is very important. So we’ve decided back then that Jeanne’s first language is English.
I believe that English is the best foundation. It is the stepping stone to the most books which are the keys to knowledge expansion. It is the medium of teaching for Math, Physics, Chemistry, and other science and technology subjects. I have no doubt that my early English evened the odds or even gave me an advantage on these subjects over many a smarter classmates.
In my opinion, it’s better to struggle in Filipino than in those critical and actually useful subjects. What’s the use of Tagalog other than for conversations with friends and attempts at cultural preservation? It’s not even the only language of the diverse cultural landscape of the country. Just a “national” language foisted upon everyone by the inheritors of the American colonial administration.
Of course, we want Jeanne to be multilingual: English, Tagalog (unfortunately), Cebuano (an attempt at cultural preservation heh), French, and maybe another language or two. But that will come in due time. Meanwhile, I’d better get my French ready.