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[Port-Au-Princess]

I came over at the age of 2 from Haiti and grew up in a household that spoke mostly Creole. From what I've heard I came knowing how to speak french but forgot it all because of the fact Creole was the home language, and once I learned English the french was a wrap.

Well, I now have a son who was born here but spent a few years in Haiti and went to school. He speaks french, creole and english. He now lives with me here in America and vacations in Canada every summer. It's because of my family that he grew up with, that he still remembers his french. Because if it's for me, the boy would have forgotten it by now.

Also, I speak English mostly at home. Not because I prefer it that way but to be honest it's just about all that I know. I can speak creole fluently, but there are still words that I forget or may struggle with. So with that being said, English is the main language at home.

I make a conscious effort to speak Creole with my four year old, as I watch her pick up spanish from her Dora and Diego programs. I see how it easy she grasps the spanish language and think to myself there's no way she shouldn't be able to grasp the haitian language.

But guess what? Because she hears it so rarely, it sounds like gibberish to her when she hears it and she parodies it by speaking mumbo jumbo and laughing at it. She thinks it's funny. lol...and in some way I feel embarrassed.

with my four year old. LOL