Wanting their kids to remember their heritage, or for them to have the ability to speak in their parent’s native tongue, these stars have commented on raising bilingual children. Some are currently expecting their first child and they say they hope to pass on more than one language, while others are already actively raising children who can speak more than just English.
Eva Mendes
Eva, who is currently pregnant, previously said she wants her kids to speak English and Spanish: “I would teach her (my daughter) Spanish. But first, I’d study up on mine – it’s Spanglish (a mix of Spanish and English) and very improper. “I’m not sure what I would teach her about culture. That’s probably why I don’t have kids yet. I feel like I need to go to Cuba first – whether Castro is in power or not – and figure out some stuff on my own. I guess it would be fun to go with my daughter and find out together.”
Heidi Klum
Heidi’s children speak English and German: “They’re bilingual. You owe that to your children if you have the ability to speak another language.”
Jessica Alba
Jessica has taught her daughter Honor some Spanish and wants her to respect her culture: “I am a mother who shoves information down her throat, poor thing. I sing her songs about colors in Spanish and English when I’m cooking. Literally I integrate learning into everything I do. We’re into colors because I feel that’s something a 15-month-old can sort of identify. So now she kind of points to blue and says ‘azul’ and I say ‘Yes, azul, muy bien!’ It’s slow going but she’s sort of picking it up.”
Ricky Martin
Ricky is teaching his children several languages: “They speak Spanish, we speak Spanish in the house, but they go to a French school… That’s the beautiful thing about New York, it’s such a diverse city, culturally speaking, and you have the opportunity to bring your kids into this school (which) goes by the French system and I want them to be exposed to all this… My parents only speak Spanish so they (the kids)… speak Spanish (to them).”
Zoe Saldana
Zoe is expecting her first child and says she wants to raise her children to speak both Spanish and English: ”Of course [our children] will speak the languages that we speak; my sisters and I grew up learning French and speaking English and Spanish, and because of that, we’re able to understand Italian and Portuguese. But I’m going to have to make a conscious effort to speak Spanish to my children, because I speak Spanglish.”
