Bilingual parenting is deeply rewarding, but it can also be one of the hardest commitments a family makes. Life is busy, routines are unpredictable, and often the dominant language ends up taking over. Parents can start to feel discouraged, wondering if their efforts in the home language are really making a difference.

Recently, our family had a powerful reminder of why persistence matters.

For a long time, bedtime reading was always led by dad. It became a comforting routine, but it also meant that our five-year-old son was being read to almost exclusively in English. Dutch, my home language, was slowly being edged out of that space.

A month ago, we decided to make a change. We began alternating bedtime, so that every other night I would read to him in Dutch. It didn’t feel like a big shift at the time, but the consistency of that small adjustment quickly began to show its impact.

Just a few weeks later, something remarkable happened. For the very first time, our son picked up a beginner Dutch reader and he read it aloud. The sounds were accurate, the flow was natural, and he read exactly as a five-year-old in Belgium would.

It was an unforgettable moment, and it confirmed what many families need to hear:

You cannot give up on bilingual parenting.

Yes, it is hard work. Yes, it can feel like you’re pushing against the tide. But progress happens. Often suddenly, right before your eyes. Each bedtime story, each small pocket of time you dedicate to your home language, is an investment. And when those moments add up, your child will surprise you with what they can do.

For parents raising children with more than one language, the message is clear: keep going. The effort you put in today may not show instantly, but it is building the foundation your child needs for tomorrow.