Do you have a child growing up with more than one language and wonder how other families manage? Are you a grandparent watching your multilingual grandchildren develop and wishing you understood the process better? Or are you expecting a bilingual baby and unsure what the early years might look like?
If the answer to any of those is yes, a new book coming out this week might be just for you.
Rita Rosenback’s “Diary of a Bilingual Mother” is a fictional journal rooted in real-life experiences from multilingual families around the world. Through Mama’s diary entries, readers are invited into the daily ups and downs of a household where more than one language is spoken.
From misunderstandings and hilarious mishaps to moments of deep pride and connection, the diary reveals the emotional and practical realities of multilingual family life.
If you’re already raising bilingual children (or grandchildren), many of the situations will feel familiar. As you follow how the family handles these moments, you may discover ideas, reassurance and even solutions to your own everyday dilemmas. The book also includes links to further reading for those who want to explore the featured topics in more depth.
Although the diary is fictional, every scenario has its roots in real families — including the author’s own. After decades of supporting parents as a family language coach, Rosenback has drawn from countless stories shared with her over the years.
These families often describe feeling isolated or misunderstood, especially when others dismiss their concerns as trivial. Raising a bilingual child involves so much more than language: it touches on heritage, identity, connection and belonging.
Born into a bilingual Finland-Swedish household, Rosenback grew up speaking both Finland-Swedish and Finnish, later studying languages at Åbo Akademi University and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. After relocating to England in 1998, she transitioned from leading international teams to dedicating her career to multilingual family support.
“Diary of a Bilingual Mother” is the first in a series of journals offering comfort, community and companionship for anyone navigating the multilingual journey. It will be available Dec. 4 as an ebook on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo IngramSpark.
To learn more about Rosenback’s work, check out her website at multilingualparenting.com.
