Re: multilingual child and friends
Hi Serafina,
I can appreciate your concern, but actually I think your child is getting a very positive edge over many other children. Even though you are dropping the unnecessary languages, or the ones that by his immediate surroundings are not really needed, the exposure is actually very good. the more different sounds and concepts that he is exposed to the better. Sure it's going to cause confusion at first, when he is little and looking for consistency. Children need to feel that safety in consistency to make them emotionally strong and secure. However, the strength and protection you provide as a mother will be the determining factor for that in the long run. In the meantime, exposure to different languages will open up those neural pathways and make it much easier for him to learn foreign languages as he gets older.
As there will inevitably be confusion over many words initially, like say between Italian and Spanish, you just need to keep reinforcing the correct word in the language you speak, say Italian. At some point, when he is intellectually able to comprehend distinctions a bit more, you can continue making emphasis on individual languages. For instance, when he mispronounces a word in the language in which you are familiar, just correct him, ie; say Italian=vecchio , Spanish=viejo. Of course if you yourself don't know the Spanish equivalent, just stress words in the language you do know (Italian).
If you can keep to just three languages for now, he will eventually understand that Mommy=Italian, Daddy and Mommy=English, and friends outside=Spanish. The important thing is for him to get to the point where he can group words and thoughts into "SETS". That's what takes the longest but is the most important factor. If you limit to three languages for now, when he is a bit older he will be able to pick up the other languages again with great ease. So don't worry too much about the confusion he may be experiencing now, it will all work out.
I hope what I've written actually makes sense. In any case I want to encourage you that he will be fine. I'm the product of multi-languages and my head is screwed on tightly most of the times....