Mom Defends Decision to Teach Her Kids French Over a 'More Useful' Language, Despite Not Being a Native Speaker (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Michelle Bruni faced criticism for raising her children in French instead of a "more practical" language like Spanish

• Bruni, a linguist with a PhD in bilingualism, says research supports non-native speakers teaching second languages to children

• She shares her journey online to inspire parents, emphasizing that perfection isn’t necessary to raise bilingual children

When Michelle Bruni began sharing videos of her bilingual parenting journey online, she didn’t expect her choices to spark debate.

But as her audience grew — now reaching more than 287,000 followers on TikTok — so did the commentary.

“Back in 2022 and 2023, I received thousands of comments critiquing what I was doing,” the 32-year-old mom tells PEOPLE.

Some questioned her decision to raise her children in French, a language she learned herself, rather than Spanish — which many considered more practical.

“When we were living in California, a lot of people looked down on the fact that I was raising my daughter in French and not Spanish, which a lot of people assume to be a more ‘useful’ language,” she says.

For Bruni, that criticism misses the point entirely.

“What makes a language ‘useful?’ Well, a language that is used! And in our case, French is used between my children and me. It’s useful for us.”

Others raised concerns about her not being a native speaker, worrying she might pass along mistakes or an accent.

“People thought that I would pass down ‘bad’ grammar, mistakes, and a ‘bad’ accent to my child,” she says.

But with a background in linguistics and a PhD focused on bilingualism, Bruni says those fears aren’t backed by research.

“There’s no research suggesting that non-native parenting is harmful to a child’s language development,” she explains.

She also pushes back on the idea that accents are something to avoid.

“So what if she has an accent when she speaks French? She speaks two languages!” she says. “Everyone has an accent, even in their native language.”

Despite the criticism, Bruni has continued sharing her experience — in part because of the messages she receives from other parents.

“I often receive DMs from parents saying how happy they are to have found my account because it gives them reassurance and confidence that they actually can raise bilingual children,” she says.

Many, she adds, are people who once thought they weren’t “good enough” to pass down a second language.

“I think that when they see a non-native speaker doing it, it gives them the confidence that they don’t need to speak perfectly to raise bilingual children,” she says.

That encouragement has helped her build an online community she never expected.

“I never anticipated or expected to form an online community of other bilingual parents, but I’m so happy that it’s come about naturally,” she says.

At its core, her message is simple: perfection isn’t required.

“I hope parents know that they don’t need to be perfect speakers or speak the home language 100% of the time to ‘successfully’ raise bilingual children,” she says.

Instead, she encourages families to define what success looks like for them.

“Does it mean that their child can read and write in both languages, or is being able to talk with their grandparents in the home language sufficient?” she says. “ ‘Success’ looks different for every family.”

For Bruni, the goal isn’t about meeting a universal standard — it’s about opening up opportunities.

“Why limit your child to one language when you have the opportunity to open up an entire new world for them?”

Read the original article on People