Our Journey Raising Bilingual Kids: From Monolingual Parenting to Next Level English

Growing up, I never imagined I’d be raising bilingual kids in Spain. I struggled with language learning myself, so the idea of my own children switching between languages felt impossible.

1995 - At 14 the Red Hot Chili Peppers were all that was on my mind

At 14 years old I had to choose Between Spanish, German or Irish and figured more people spoke Spanish so... After three years of lessons, I left knowing little more than how to say my name, that I had two brothers, and—if I really dug deep—that my home town had a very big beach.

The real truth? I never needed another language.

I still remember having to read out loud from a textbook about Juan in somewhere called Torremolinos talking about his cousin’s favourite sport. As a teenager, I couldn’t have cared less about Juan’s cousin’s sports interests.

Looking back, it’s obvious why—I had no connection to him, no reason to engage, and no motivation beyond trying (and failing) to pass an exam.

Spanish was just another school subject. English wasn’t much better. I always struggled with reading and writing and I can’t even remember finishing a book for pleasure until I was in my 20s (Thank you Tolkien!).

A secondary school with a view! Portstewart, N. Ireland

In Spanish class, my saving grace was a great view of the ocean. I spent most of my time gazing out the window, calculating how wet I’d get during the walk home.

Fast forward a few years, and suddenly, Spanish became very relevant.

From “I Have Two Brothers” to a Life in Two Languages

I fell in love with my amazing wife, Esther, while managing a summer English activity camp for teens in Edinburgh. She was a group leader, and thankfully, her English was great—because my Spanish had regressed to listing Juan’s cousin’s hobbies and scraping together whatever I could remember.

2007 Edinburgh, Scotland - Who could have predicted our journey ahead?

I really appreciated how effortlessly she communicated in English—it made me realise just how completely monolingual I was.

For a few years, Ryanair's cheap flights and Skype calls kept us together as we navigated a relationship between Ireland and Spain. We always spoke English—it was the language of our relationship from the start.

I visited Spain often, but my Spanish barely improved. Short visits and relying on others’ limited English to get by meant I was never pushed to properly engage with the language.

At one point, I even tried the local option in N. Ireland —a Spanish course for adults.

To my not really surprise, the curriculum had changed little from what I’d done at school.

But where was Juan you might ask? Juan was gone!

In his place was Penelope from Malaga, and instead spent the first three months writing Penelope weekly letters using to be in various tenses. Each lesson focused on a grammar rule and conjugations, followed by a writing assignment: ❝ Write a letter to Penelope using the present simple to be.❞

I needed to communicate. I needed to speak. But instead, I was back to memorising verb charts and doing robotic writing exercises.

It was so frustrating. I still didn’t have a way to actually learn Spanish.

And then we moved to Qatar—probably the last place I’d have expected to finally learn Spanish.

Lessons from Teaching English to a World of Students

Unlike my short visits to Spain, I was now surrounded by Spanish speakers every day—at social gatherings, in friendships, and in our daily life.

2012 Doha, Qatar - Life before children

If I wanted to be part of conversations, I had to engage. No more hiding behind English. No more relying on others to switch for me.

For the first time, I had real motivation: to connect, to belong, and to communicate with the people around me.

And it worked. Bit by bit, my Spanish improved—not through verb charts or scripted dialogues, but by being thrown into real conversations, making mistakes, and figuring it out as I went.

In Qatar, Esther worked as an architect, while I stepped into a role in English literacy education—one that would completely change how I thought about teaching.

I worked with small groups (1-4 students), and my students came from all over the world—Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Spain, Malaysia, Pakistan, the U.K., and beyond. Each faced different struggles:

🔹 Some had never learned phonics, relying on guessing words or reading them in their own script.

🔹 Others memorised grammar rules but struggled to use them naturally.

🔹 Fluent speakers who couldn’t read well—stumbling over unfamiliar words because they’d never been taught decoding skills.

🔹 Students taught with rigid, test-focused methods, where English had been a subject to pass, not a language to use.

Their struggles weren’t about talent—it was about how they’d been taught.

The joy of learning had rarely been part of their experience, and I saw how much that affected progress.

It was an eye-opener.

I had always thought teaching English was about spoon-feeding knowledge—but with these children, it was about building confidence, engagement, and connection.

That realisation stuck with me.

Raising Bilingual Kids: A Multilingual Family of Our Own

By the time our first child was born in Qatar, we knew he would grow up multilingual.

2014 - Doha, Qatar - Learning to be parents

At first, we did what felt natural and followed the OPOL method (One Parent, One Language)—Esther spoke Spanish, I spoke English, and we were surrounded by an international, multilingual community. When we moved to Barcelona, Catalan naturally became part of his world.

We wanted our children to connect deeply with our languages—English, Spanish, and Catalan—not just for practical reasons, but because language is how we connect as a family. Catalan, as the community language, would also allow them to fully integrate and be part of local life.

2017 - Barcelona, Spain - Hey bro!

Esther’s father speaks Valenciano, closely related to Catalan, so maintaining that family bond mattered too.

And just like that, we were navigating three languages at once. Then our second child arrived, bringing a whole new set of challenges—but that’s for another blog.

What We’ve Learned About Raising Bilingual Kids

I used to think I was bad at languages.

Now, I know I just needed the right environment to learn.

That’s what we want for bilingual children—a learning experience that connects with them, that makes them feel confident, and that fits into real family life.

Because raising bilingual kids isn’t just about language. It’s about connection.

Want more insights, strategies, and motivation for your bilingual reader? 📚✨

Join my newsletter or follow me on IG, FB, or LinkedIn for updates on new blog posts, expert advice, and practical tips to support your child’s English journey.

👇 Check out more blogs below for real stories, expert strategies, and hands-on tips to help multilingual families thrive! 🚀

Let’s navigate this journey together! 💡