I am so on board with learning multiple languages. My dad's first language was Italian; his grandparents (first care-givers because both parents worked) didn't speak English. Unfortunately, as mentioned elsethread, in those days people hid their 'non-(American)-standard cultural experiences'; he didn't even attempt to teach us kids any Italian, although he spoke it fluently until his grandmother died when I was about 1-1/2. I mourn that; it might have helped my brain be flexible enough to learn other languages. I had 2 or 3 years each of Latin, French, and Spanish, and can't speak any of them; by the time I was exposed to them (in junior high and high school), my brain just wouldn't "let go" of English. I can kinda-sorta puzzle out the meaning of simple written sentences in those languages, but no more.

At least my recognition of missed opportunities led me to offer reassurances when Spanish-speaking students were embarrassed by not knowing a specific English word. Although New Mexico is officially a bilingual state, too many children still seem to get shamed if they stumble over an English word or phrase. I simply gave them the needed word, accompanied by a little verbal approval about how cool it was that they knew two languages, and that they should keep speaking both, because bosses would be looking for that when they became old enough to work. I'll never know, but I hope it helped some of them along the line...