Celebrating International Women's Day is easy when we've got so many reasons to be proud that we're Latina. Not only are there a ton of amazing celebrity Latina moms that we're loving on Twitter (like Sofia Vergara, who's just as hysterical and loveable as ever in just 140 characters) but we also just make great moms.
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate being a woman today (including being inspired by some of the amazing Latina moms out there, like Gloria Estefan and Isabel Allende). In my family, we started with getting flowers for all of the amazing women who have touched our lives. So honor those women in your lives for all of the things we do right.
1. We have the best home remedies. Although my mom was a busy working mom, she still tried to come home and cook more often than not. And whenever I had a cold or was sick, it was time for sancocho (or other Latin variation of chicken noodle soup)! We rely on plenty of other home remedies, too—especially those to cure el mal de ojo and make our kids healthier.
Read more ¿Qué más? Mami's Sancocho can heal the world.
2. We're raising bilingual kids, naturally. Not all of us grew up speaking Spanish in the home, but almost all of us are now advocates of teaching our children to speak both English and Spanish. I was lucky enough that my parents taught me but my brother never quite learned. It's now their biggest regret and I'm glad to see that the school system is beginning to recognize the importance of Spanish as well.
Read more ¿Qué más? Teaching children Spanish should be a priority in our public schools.
3. We stay involved even as abuelitas. My grandmother was on hand to help raise us. Even when she wasn't able to live nearby, her and my mother talked on the phone frequently. Abuela did everything from cleaning the house, babysitting and cooking delicious meals. I'm not pregnant but my mom is already preparing for her own role as abuelita with plans to take my kids to Disney World and the like.
Read more ¿Qué más? Thanks to my abuelas, I'll probably live to 100 years old!
4. We care that our kids gets their nutrients. Salma Hayek is the latest Latina celebrity to join the "Got Milk?" campaign to help children make sure that they're getting their fill of Vitamin D and calcium by drinking milk. Not only that, but she's doing it in English and Spanish! Other Latina moms to previously appear in this campaign with their kids include Sofia Vergara and famed designer Carolina Herrera.
Read more ¿Qué más? Salma Hayek named first bilingual ambassador for Got Milk? campaign.
5. We communicate with our extended families. Not only do we make great parents thanks to our positive stance on breastfeeding, wanting to teach our kids more than one language and letting the kids watch only an hour of television a day—but we also do a lot to keep our families together. Keeping in touch with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and arranging regular get togethers is pretty standard.
Read more ¿Qué más? New study shows why Latina moms make great parents.
What is your reason for celebrating International Women's Day as a Latina mom?
Images via jdeleon5/flickr, MilkPEP
