All mothers are not the same, but we have shared experiences. All Latinas are not the same, but we have shared experiences. Hence it comes as no surprise that Latina moms in the United States have shared experiences, no? Oh yeah, and for some reason we don't go around warning each other about them. Trust me when I tell you that there are things no one tells you about being a Latina mom that are pretty standard.
Read more ¿Qué más?: 20 Signs that you were raised by Latino parents
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1. People at the playground will ask you if you are the nanny or the mom. The first time it happened to me, I was floored. The next time I laughed because it was a 5-year-old kid asking me. Oh how quickly they learn.
2. Even if you are bilingual, you will have to decide if your kids will be bilingual. Teaching a child two languages takes a lot of effort and you have to commit to it.
3. Your parenting choices will be juged by ALL. Latinos and non-Latinos will judge you but sometimes totally differently on the same topic. Uh, hello pierced-ears for baby girls debate! Talk about polarizing.
4. You really have to be careful about choosing a name that works in both English and Spanish. If you don't choose wisely, your English speaking neighbor will be calling your son "One" instead of Juan and your tía will laugh every time she calls your daughter Savannah "Sábana."
5. Non-Latinos won't understand why your kids have so many tíos, tías, primos and primas. Uh, it's because they are not all technically tíos, tías, primos and primas.
6. You will have a hard time balancing American traditions with your Latino traditions. Sleep overs? OMG! What are you supposed to do about sleep overs?
7. You will be considered the expert on all things Latino by non-Latino parents. Doesn't matter where you were born or how you were raised, you are the expert on ALL Latino traditions.
8. You FINALLY get the whole pull of the chancla. No, you don't believe in corporal punishment, but you get it.
9. You will use food. Not just to nourish your children, but to tell them stories, teach them about culture, bribe them (I know, it's bad) and show them love.
10. You will be determined to teach your kids the manners your parents taught you. None of this going into people's fridges without asking, putting elbows on the table when eating, not greeting people or saying goodbye, expecting to get dropped off at the curb when going to a friend's house or worse asking you to honk when you pick them up instead of going to get them at the door. As if?!
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