As a Latina, a mom and a proud liberal San Francisco resident, I like to buck and challenge stereotypes as much as possible … But some stereotypes aren't so bad and I'm not about to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so I embrace them and tell myself that I, like other Latinas, cannot be defined by stereotypes alone and if that is all that gente criticona see, well that's their problem. Okay, now that I've given you that disclaimer let's get down to business, shall we?
Let's talk in stereotypes, specifically stereotypes that apply to Latina moms.
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Here are nine stereotypical things Latina moms actually do like to do:
1. Play the martyr. Don't argue with us about who works hardest or is more tired. We will win every single time and we will make you feel guilty that you even thought you stood a chance.
2. Cook for our kids. Even if we don't really like to cook, we like to cook for our kids. It's a way of showing love and controlling (in a loving way, of course) what goes into them.
3. Chismear about other mothers and their kids. It's all in fun, but did you see what she sent Juanito to school in? It's like he got dressed in the dark.
4. Get piñatas for the kids' birthdays. Listen, if gringos can wholeheartedly embrace piñatas even if they can't seem to figure out how to hang them up and use them correctly, then why should Latina moms feel like a cliché for having them at their kids' parties?
5. Use abuela as the go-to baby sitter. I mean, baby sitters are useful and all, but they cost money and they do not love your kids like abuela does. They also don't cook like abuela.
6. Use indirectas as a weapon. Let's say you have the nerve to date one of our children or heaven forbid marry one of them, we won't directly insult you, that would be rude, but we will use the indirecta to give you an unsettling compliment. For example, "Oh my goodness, you are looking so full of life, I thought for sure you must be pregnant, but I guess it's all the fast food you've been eating. It's a good thing you are so tall because you can carry all that extra weight." It works best if the person you are saying this to, is not actually tall, but quite short.
7. Tell our sons that no woman will ever love them like we do. Okay, it's kind of creepy, but that doesn't stop it from being true.
8. Have our kids live with us way past the age of 18. Who made up that silly rule that kids should move out at the age of 18? Surely, it was not a Latina mom because we're okay with our kids staying until they get married–and if that is never, well then why move out at all?
9. Bug our kids to have kids. Hey, we put in all this work being a mother and we want the fun that comes with being an abuela, how can you deny us that after all we've done for you?
Image via Corbis Images
