Hola Hola,
Birthday. Service. Why?
Let’s talk 💛
¿Cómo estás? How are you doing?
Last week, my little girl turned 11.
Yes… I know. Not so little anymore.
One of my favorite things to do when she was a baby was to rock her in my chair and just smell her cabecita.
I swear, it had the same effect as catnip on cats, lol.
After her birthday festivities, we ended much like the way we used to…
snuggled on the couch while giving her quiet besitos on her cabecita.
Just feeling grateful for another year with my mijita.
You know, every birthday looks a little different.
Some years you go all out.
Other years are more low-key.
But every year is a reminder…
our kids are growing, changing, and slowly learning to make their own decisions.
And this year?
Mija decided she wanted to volunteer.
Yup.
Now, community service is required at her school…
but on your birthday?
That wasn’t required.
That was her choice.
And it taught me something.
As our children grow, they’re going to make their own decisions.
Some will make us proud.
Some… maybe not so much.
But it shouldn’t be about us.
Our role is to guide them,
while giving them the space to choose what makes them feel proud,
what makes them feel fulfilled,
what builds their confidence.
And if those choices just so happen to help or serve others in more than one language…
we’re not just raising bilingual kids,
we’re raising kind, confident humans.
Moments like this don’t happen by accident.
The way we respond to our kids,
the words we choose,
what we praise,
what we highlight,
that’s what shapes how they see themselves.
Inside my Confident Bilingual Parenting course, I teach parents how to praise effort in a way that builds confidence and internal motivation…
not just in language learning, but in who they become.
Because this?
This is bigger than Spanish.
After two hours of volunteering, I picked her up.
She was sweaty, tired, hungry…
and completely content.
An opportunity came up to continue helping special needs kids over the next few weeks.
Mija smiled and said yes without hesitation.
On the ride home, I told her:
“Dice mucho que hiciste voluntariado en tu cumpleaños.
That says a lot about you.
Not many kids would choose this… and this is something to be proud of.”
And she just smiled.
Not because I told her "I'm proud of you,"
but because she felt proud of herself.
Because raising bilingual kids isn’t just about language…
it’s about identity, confidence, and how they see themselves.
And that starts with us. 💛
If you’ve been wanting to raise your child bilingual but aren’t always sure how to do it in a way that builds confidence (not pressure), while working with their natural strengths,
I walk you through that step-by-step inside my Confident Bilingual Parenting Course.
Un abrazo y muchas bendiciones!
See you Friday.
Janny Perez
Founder at Mi Legasi
PS. Stay tuned for a special Bilingual Easter Freebie Friday in your inbox!
Looking for past bilingual parenting tips or book recommendations? Our newsletter archive lets you search and browse past newsletters anytime, no inbox digging required!
Subscribers still get access to exclusive Free Bilingual Spanish printables and giveaway entries sent straight to their inbox, so joining is the best way to stay fully up to date and get every resource.
