Interests: to read about languages, language acquisition, bilingualism and trilingualism

My interest in trilingualism started before my daughter Emily was born, as my husband and I were faced with the decision whether to bring her up speaking three languages: English, Spanish and Dutch. While I am a Spanish speaker and my husband speaks Dutch as a native language, we speak to each other in English. We have lived in the UK since 1998 and currently we have settled down just off the border between Wales and England. Hence, when our daughter goes to school, she will also have to learn some Welsh. I am convinced this is going to be a wonderful experience although I have to admit it is sometimes very hard.

Since Emily's birth, we have encountered lots of challenges to continue with our commitment. Published documentation on trilingualism is unfortunately almost non-existent as it is assumed that bilingual studies is also applicable to trilingualism. While this latter assumption is often true, trilingual children experience a wide range of different challenges compared to bilingual children.
It is not an easy task; however we strongly believe that it will be worth it. Our goal is that Emily is fluent in Spanish, Dutch and English and that she is aware and proud of her multicultural roots.

I would love to get in contact with other parents in the same situation so that we can learn from each other's experiences.