Kiran
Peace be upon you, my name is Kiran and this is my wife Ashir. We have 2 children, Ayan is 4 years old and Alayha is 2 years old.
Ashir
We both speak to each other in Urdu and sometimes English as well. We sometimes speak half a sentence in Urdu, half a sentence in English. So it's probably good that we taught our children Urdu as well.
We're not actively trying to teach them Urdu - or English for that matter. We are just trying to keep it very natural, the way we are with each other at home. That's what our kids are watching and that's what they're following.
Kiran
I think generally, whenever we are going out to the park, I tend to have conversations with them in an English-Urdu mix. So if he feels like saying something in Urdu, he will say it in Urdu. If it's a mixture of Urdu and English, he will say it like that.
Ashir
And Alayha is the same. It's not like she would deliberately speak in Urdu with us at this stage, she's only two. So she will say whatever she wants to say. If she wants to say a sentence in English, she will say it in English. If she wants to say it in Urdu, she will say it in Urdu.
Kiran
I wanted to create an environment which was natural to the way that I was brought up.
Ashir
Kids are just so absorbing. Whatever they watch, whatever the see, they just absorb it.
Kiran
Exactly. And just to elaborate on that - it's something we would be doing anyway.
Ashir
If parents are speaking Urdu at home then they should definitely continue to do so with kids. Do not make an extra effort of speaking to them in English. Just continue the way that you are at home and then the kids with naturally pick it up.
Kiran
It's just nice hearing them, listening to them using the same words that you would use.
Ashir
And because we have been brought up that way, it's nice to see that we can give the same upbringing to our kids.
Kiran and Ashir explain how they naturally switch languages at home, often starting sentences in English and finishing them in Urdu or vice versa.
By switching languages naturally, their children are picking up both languages as they hear them from their parents.
Image caption, Whether they're at home or out at the park, Kiran and Ashir switch their languages all the time.
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