TV Education
Lex has been watching the Disney Channel on cable TV since he was 2 years old. It was a good way to distract him and keep him from moving around too much. Since my mother takes care of him and the rest of the household chores when I am not around, letting him watch TV made it convenient for her.
Then the maid had to take a vacation that lasted 4 months. by that time, Lex was barely 4 years old and is really active. So the only way my mother can do some house work done is if she let Lex watch TV for hours. We know it wasn’t ideal, but it was the best option at that time.
Then we noticed the change. At home, we speak Tagalog, the primary Filipino dialect. So we were amazed that Lex has started to speak in English – with the accent! We do speak to him in English, just so he becomes bilingual and it will be easier for him to adjust in school. But we never talk to him in an American or British accent.
So now, we just let him watch cartoons since school has not started yet. We just make sure he watches kid-friendly shows. And wow, I am so amazed at the kind of words he uses on a daily basis. I even learn new ways of saying things in English (I tend to translate literally, and sometimes it sounds weird). And I learned how to speak to him with an accent as well, just so he doesn’t get confused. 