I now have proof, officially and unofficially, that our 16-month-old is bi-lingual. She can point to her nose, or ears, or eyes, or feet, when asked in Polish and when asked in English. She recognizes Grandma Milly and she knows who Babcia Alina is. And so on. Simply - she responds to two different languages.
I smile and wonder: what must she be thinking? My much older self has a notion of difference: there is this one, and there is that one. Cultures, nationalities, histories, languages. There is a reason and order to all. But for her? This is the way mama talks, this is the way daddy talks. Perhaps there is no need for reasons, and for notions of 'the other'. Just the way things are.
I hope that she can respond this way to all the 'different' things and people she encounters in her later life. That she will never be absolutely convinced something is simply what she thinks it is. The fact that a 'ball' is also 'piłka' and perhaps a hundred other things opens up one's perception of the world. Let it be - she's bi-lingual! Goodness, what fun we'll have!
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