Okay so my daughter texted me asking if she could do online French classes for kids twice a week instead of once a week. My daughter. The same kid who literally pretended to have a migraine to get out of doing her math homework last month. She was asking for MORE online French classes for kids. I read the text like three times thinking I was misunderstanding it. I texted my wife back like, “Did you see what she said about wanting more online French classes for kids?” Because that made no sense coming from her. She’s never asked for more of anything school-related in her entire life.
My wife had this whole romantic idea about going to Paris. She watched some YouTube video one morning and was like, “We should take the kids to Paris.” I was like, “Cool, we should also buy a private jet while we’re making unrealistic plans.” But she was serious. And then she was like, “They should learn French first.” I laughed. I actually laughed out loud at her.
But then she started looking up stuff online. She found this place called Berliner’s Institute that does online French classes for kids. I wasn’t really listening when she was telling me about it. I was scrolling Twitter or whatever. She was explaining how online French classes for kids could work from home and I was just like, “Sure babe, whatever you want.” I’ve learned to say that about stuff I don’t really think will matter.
I figured worst case scenario we’re out some money and the kids do it for two weeks and then it’s done. That’s how literally every activity with my kids goes. Soccer? Two weeks. Piano? Three weeks. Coding camp? One day. They try it, they hate it, we move on.
First Lesson I Wanted to Die
My oldest just refused. Like he wouldn’t even go near the computer. He’s sixteen and everything is terrible and stupid according to him. My wife was like, “You’re doing this” and he was like, “No I’m not.” It was this whole thing. Eventually he went and sat there looking at his stomach the entire time. I could hear him from downstairs just giving like one word answers. It was brutal.
My daughter wasn’t enthusiastic but at least she wasn’t refusing. She seemed really bored though. Like she was just counting down the minutes until she could leave. After it was done she was like, “That was weird I guess.” That’s all the feedback she had.
My youngest just completely lost it before his lesson. He was crying. Like actually crying because he didn’t want to talk to a stranger on the computer. My wife was trying to calm him down and I was sitting there feeling like a terrible parent. I was like, “Why are we doing this to our kids?” My wife said I was being dramatic and that he’d be fine. But I wasn’t sure.
I told my wife that night that I thought this was a bad idea and we should stop. She was like, “It’s day one. Everyone’s nervous.” I wasn’t convinced. I thought we were forcing them into something they hated and it was going to backfire.
Then Like Week Three Happened and Things Got Weird
My oldest came down after his lesson and was like, “Marie said I have a good accent.” Just mentioned it casually like it wasn’t a big deal. But I could tell he was kind of proud about it. He wasn’t complaining about the next lesson. That was different.
My daughter kept asking about her next lesson. She wanted to know what they’d be doing. That seemed new. She said Marie had asked her about her art and then incorporated it somehow into the lesson. She seemed actually interested which was shocking.
My youngest stopped crying which honestly was the only thing I really cared about. He’d still be nervous but he wouldn’t melt down anymore. That was good enough for me.
I started noticing that Marie, the instructor, was like actually paying attention to each kid individually. She wasn’t just teaching French. She was understanding their personalities and adjusting how she taught them. That’s not something every teacher does.
The Moment My Wife Got to Say I Told You So
My youngest came home from a lesson singing this entire French song. Like a full song. He was getting the pronunciation all wrong but he didn’t care. He was just walking around the house being happy about it. My wife looked at me like, “See?” I wasn’t ready to admit she was right yet.
My daughter asked if we could watch something in French together. Just asked me casually. We found a kids show and she was understanding parts of it. She’d tell me what people were saying. I was like, “How do you know that?” She’d been doing this for like two months.
My oldest started talking about wanting to watch football in French. Like he was actually interested in French football commentary. He wasn’t even pretending to like it. He genuinely wanted to understand it better.
At that point my wife definitely won the “I was right about this” argument and I had to accept it.
Around Month Three Things Got Actually Crazy
My kids were having like real conversations with Marie. Not perfect conversations. But they were actually talking to her in French and understanding what she was saying back. That’s learning. That’s not like a video game where you get points. That’s actually being able to use a language.
I was genuinely shocked. Like I didn’t think this was possible in a few months. But they were doing it.
My youngest knew like a bunch of words and could understand basic stuff. My daughter was pretty solid at having simple conversations. My oldest was actually pretty capable at understanding what Marie said without needing her to repeat everything.
We weren’t doing anything special at home. Marie told my wife not to make it into homework. So we didn’t. My kids would sometimes watch French stuff because they wanted to. That was it. No forced studying. No drilling vocabulary. Nothing stressful.
Why Marie Just Isn’t Like Other Teachers
Marie doesn’t get boring with the teaching. She actually seems to like being around kids. A lot of teachers clearly can’t stand being around them but Marie is different. She’s engaged. She’s interested in my kids as people.
She figured out really quickly how to reach each of them. My oldest hates sitting still and listening to lectures. So she just talks to him about stuff he cares about. He learns through the conversation without it feeling like teaching.
My daughter learns better when she’s creating something. So Marie had her making stuff and labeling it. She was way more into it when she was doing something instead of just listening.
My youngest needed reassurance constantly. Marie would be like, “You’re doing great!” and he’d actually believe her. She was patient with him and made him feel like it was okay to try and mess up.
The lessons are like thirty five to forty minutes. That’s literally the only time window where kids can actually focus. Any shorter and they don’t learn anything. Any longer and they zone out completely.
What Happened to Them Beyond Just Speaking French
My oldest got braver about trying hard things. He’s doing a math tutor now and he actually goes. Before he would’ve refused. I don’t know if learning French made him feel like he could do other hard stuff but something shifted in him.
My daughter started being way more confident. She’s trying things in other areas. She seems less afraid of looking dumb or failing at something. It’s like she figured out she can learn difficult things.
My youngest is just happier overall. He’s less anxious about everything. I’m not sure if it’s the French or if it’s Marie being like a positive adult in his life but he’s different. He’s more willing to take chances.
For me it was weird realizing I was wrong. I was the one saying this wouldn’t work. I was negative about it. And my kids proved that they’re capable of way more than I gave them credit for. That’s on me.
Why Online Actually Turned Out to Be Fine
I thought it would be cold and boring and like my kids would just be staring at a screen hating life. But it’s actually the opposite. Marie is like fully focused on each kid. She’s not distracted by thirty other kids. She’s just with my kid for that time.
My kids can’t hide or disappear into the background. Marie knows where they’re at and what they need. They get actual attention instead of being one of many.
Plus honestly not driving anywhere is huge. We don’t have to load everyone up and go somewhere. They just do it from home. That sounds small but it actually saves like so much time and energy when you’re already dealing with everything else.
The Money I Didn’t Want to Talk About
Online French classes for kids costs money. Real money. Not like a little bit. When that first invoice came I was not happy about it. I’m the guy who cares about how much stuff costs and I don’t like spending money on experiments.
But after like month two I stopped complaining about it because it was clear this actually worked. My kids were learning real stuff. They cared about it. They weren’t miserable. They wanted to keep going.
Compared to all the other stuff we’ve tried that went nowhere, this was actually worth paying for. That’s the difference. This one stuck. This one mattered.
My wife definitely brought up the whole “See? I was right” thing with the money too. She gets to be smug about being right about this.
Stuff That Legitimately Shocked Me
My oldest caring about anything academic. That just doesn’t happen with him. He’s checked out of school. He doesn’t do homework without a fight. The fact that he went from hating the idea to actually wanting to learn French was genuinely surprising to me.
My daughter asking for more lessons. I keep coming back to that because it’s so unlike her. She asks for less stuff, not more. She’s not like, “Can I do more homework?” That’s not her personality. But she asked for more French.
My youngest being less anxious overall. He’s an anxious kid about everything. But after a couple months of lessons with Marie he just seemed more confident. More willing to try things even if they scared him.
And that I was so completely wrong about this whole thing. I was skeptical. I was negative. I thought it was going to be a waste. And I was wrong about all of it.
People Keep Asking Me About It
Q: Did it actually stick or did they forget everything?
They remember it. My youngest still sings that song. My daughter can still hold conversations. My oldest actually retained stuff because he’s interested in it. When kids actually care about something and it’s taught well, it sticks around.
Q: Are you like drilling vocabulary at home or making them study?
No. Not at all. Marie actually told us not to do that. My kids will watch French stuff sometimes if they feel like it but we’re not forcing anything. We’re not making them sit down and study. It’s just happening naturally because they’re interested.
Q: What if a kid hates it and wants to quit?
I don’t know what we would’ve done. Mine didn’t end up hating it but they weren’t into it at first. If they’d refused to keep going I probably would’ve let them stop. But my wife said to give it time and she was right.
Q: Is this place legit or am I about to get scammed?
Berliner’s Institute is legit. Marie is a real person who actually knows how to teach kids. You can check them out at https://berliners-institute.com/online-french-classes-for-kids/. They seem like actual professionals not some sketchy operation.
Just Being Real About It
I thought online French classes for kids was a dumb idea. I was wrong. My kids can actually speak French. Not fluently or anything but they can genuinely communicate in another language.
My oldest went from refusing to do it to actually wanting to understand French football. My daughter asked for more lessons. My youngest is happy and sings in French constantly.
If you’re thinking about doing this with your kids, just try it. Don’t be like me being skeptical about everything. Your kids might actually surprise you. Marie and Berliner’s Institute know what they’re doing. The online French classes for kids format actually works.
I’m still getting used to the fact that my daughter asked for more lessons. That’s not normal for her. But it happened. So yeah.