Is it wise to raise your child bilingually?

Bilingualism has become the new norm in the modern world. The change in the environment introduces new challenge in parenting choices among modern families. Specifically, parents are concerned whether they should raise their children in a bilingual environment. Most concerns come from anecdotes claiming that children growing up bilingually may suffer from a slower pace of linguistic development compared to their monolingual peers. This paper summarizes findings on the similarities and differences between monolingual and bilingual infants in linguistic domain. It reviews studies in cognitive, sensory, social and neural fields, and proposes an interactive model for the effects of early bilingual development. Conclusions are drawn in favour of raising a child in a bilingual environment, along with the discussion of some life-long impacts of bilingualism.