Between Languages, Between Worlds: A Family’s Narrative of Love, Language, and Resistance

Abstract

This manuscript explores the transformative power of translanguaging in raising bilingual children, positioning bilingualism as both an act of love and resistance. Rooted in the lived experiences of a bilingual immigrant mother, a multilingual, English-speaking father, and their three children in a predominantly English-speaking community, it blends autoethnography, narrative inquiry, and child-centered perspectives to examine how language flows through everyday life. Drawing from translanguaging theory, funds of knowledge, and critical language policy, the study highlights how children’s multilingual practices strengthen identity, sustain cultural heritage, and push back against societal pressures that privilege English. Through parental reflection and children’s voices, the manuscript illustrates the emotional labor of multilingual parenting and the tensions between home and school language ideologies. It argues that raising bilingual children is not only a personal choice but a political one. Ultimately, it affirms the need to create inclusive spaces that honor and celebrate the richness of multilingual lives.