Designed as a resource for parents, this book provides them with the information and advice they need to make informed decisions about what language "policy" to adopt with their children. The authors, professional applied linguists, draw on their own experience as parents of successfully bilingual children and on interviews with other bilingual families. The book is divided into three main parts. Part I, summarizes the research to help parents identify the factors that will influence their decision to raise their children as bilinguals. Topics covered include: children's use of language, general ideas about language, definitions of bilingualism, national identity, culture sharing, simultaneous acquisition, successive bilingualism, and decision-making. Part II consists of case studies of bilingual families that illustrate a wide range of different solutions, showing decision-making in different contexts. Part III is an alphabetical reference guide providing answers to the most frequently asked questions about bilingualism. Contains 72 references. (LB)