Today we’d like to introduce you to Analily Morales.
Analily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I knew from the moment my husband and I decided we wanted a family that I wanted to raise our future child in a predominantly Spanish speaking home. As a 1st/2nd generation Mexican American whose Spanish was far from perfect, I felt that the only way to ensure that our child became bilingual was to commit to speaking Spanish at home. My husband and I got married in 2012, had our son, Fernando, in 2015, and our attempt at raising a Spanish speaking child began.
I never thought that Fernando would have a speech delay, but I advocated for him and he began receiving speech services in Spanish at 18 months. Fernando exited the speech program at age 3 speaking Spanish fluently.
Our challenge now consists of figuring out how to preserve the Spanish language with our son while being part of a predominantly English speaking environment. This was how my blog, Raising Español, came to be. I wanted a platform where I could vent my frustrations and showcase our struggles and victories. I wanted to connect with others on a similar journey. And I feel like I have.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not. I think the biggest struggle has been determining what to share and what not to share on Raising Español. I don’t want to be seen as a resource alone, but as a human, as a mother who is navigating through this world. One of the biggest struggles I encountered was when I shared that Fernando had started preschool, only to pull him out a few days later. It was one of the most challenging moments of my life and I blogged about it. To this day, I find it difficult to go back and read that blog post, but I don’t regret posting it. It showed that I, too, struggle with motherhood. Raising Español is not just about raising a bilingual child. It’s about our failures and how we learn from them, and it’s also about our wins and everything in between.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Raising Español – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Raising Español was created in March of 2018. I remember I told my friend that I felt something was missing in my life and she told me to create something. I came home and told my husband that I wanted to blog about Fernando’s bilingual journey knowing that going forward with maintaining a Spanish-only home in a predominantly English environment was going to be challenging. I had several people tell me that they tried to do this and their child forgot the language or did not speak it anymore.
I also wanted other parents to see these challenges. That even though I preferred speaking English more than Spanish, I was still trying to speak Spanish at home. I am still trying and learning. Every day I learn new words, phrases, sayings, even slang in Spanish. I still get nervous when I speak Spanish to native speakers, but I do it anyway because I want my child to see me trying.
My son and I even record videos in Spanish that I post on Raising Español’s Instagram. This is what makes Raising Español fun.
I also use this platform to recommend what works for Fernando and I in our bilingual/Spanish/Spanglish home. I try to be transparent about our bilingual journey. I display everyday moments. Human moments. And with this transparency, we made the decision to not seek out brand collaborations. That’s not to say we won’t collaborate with others on a similar journey, but I do only post what Fernando and I like and what works for us. Raising Español makes a conscience effort to stay genuine.
I am proud of the community, friendships, and the connections I have made with Raising Español. I recently told a friend, “Vulnerability invites vulnerability.”. I have put our story out there and have found a community of women on similar journeys. I am grateful for them and for their ability to share their stories, too. But more importantly, I am grateful for their trust.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love my city because we are surrounded by our Latinx culture. I know that when I am coming from work, I can buy an elote from the señora in the corner. I know that the ice-cream man drives by every evening during the hot summer months. I know that almost everyone in our community speaks Spanish.
There are some challenging aspects of living in my city such as traffic and equity, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I want my family to live where I grew up. To see what I saw growing up. It’s what helped me appreciate my community and I am grateful that I have this opportunity to show my son how to appreciate it as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://raisingespanol.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raisingespanol/
Image Credit:
Carolina Adame
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