I don’t always update every YouTube video on the blog these days, but I thought I’d put these videos in one post. We have been documenting our journey being an intercultural and bilingual family. While we are not every day family vloggers, there are some things we do want to share and are helpful for other families.

These videos take longer to edit with the subtitles in both English and Korean, but the response to them has been great.

We always make sure Yul is okay with filming, which is why we usually ask him questions so he can see that we are recording. He will tell us when he doesn’t feel like being on camera. He also sees the videos before they are uploaded and enjoys watching them. I hope he can look back one day when he is older and appreciate them.

One of the most important aspects of raising a bilingual child is creating the right environment. We are lucky to be in Seoul and are able to find the right balance. While it’s completely normal for so many people to be bilingual in countries where there are multiple languages, both South Korea and Australia are monolingual countries. There are different languages spoken in them of course, but only one main language.

When raising a bilingual child a key aspect is making sure they see both languages as valuable. It’s common for children to lose a language in English speaking countries because they can’t see the use or value of the other language. In fact, for years people have misunderstood bilingualism and encouraged parents to force only English on their children. We now know that bilingualism is a gift and benefits children in so many ways.

It’s been difficult because of the pandemic and getting Yul enough English exposure. Usually he’d see a lot more of my family, or even just other local English speakers. However, I do think he is doing really well with his English. But am looking forward to hopefully seeing my family again this year…