Bilingual Babe Well, now I have two of them. Elías, at 16 months, is quite a bit more vocal than Pedro was at that age, and he already has quite a few words in both languages. “Cow!” he cries, waving …

My next door neighbor is at it again. I hear her through the walls, filling buckets of water for mopping, vacuuming the throw rug in her bedroom. And as if there’s not enough to keep her busy inside, when I …

The first thing I noticed was the green. Tall grass, big leafy trees. The scratchy dryness of Madrid in summer seemed more than a plane ride away as I got my first look at the United States in what seemed …

At a parent meeting at my son Pedro’s preschool, I corner his teacher. “So, how’s he doing?” “Oh, he’s fine,” she answers. “Although sometimes he just sort of, well, does his own thing.” Of course he does, I think to …

I’m at Pedro’s preschool, in a parent education workshop about exploring our childrearing philosophies. I’ve been looking forward to the chance to meet and exchange ideas with other parents, and I’m hoping to come out with a renewed sense of …

Where were you on March 11, 2004? If you are American, you probably don’t remember. If you are Spanish — or, like me, living in Spain — you will probably never forget. This is what I remember: It is morning. …