As moms–especially new moms–we are often quite hard on ourselves. But every once in awhile, it's worth taking a few minutes to reflect on what you know you're doing right, rather than what you think you might be doing wrong. I'm betting that you're all a bunch of incredible mamás Latinas. Here are a few reasons why:
1. Your baby knows how to kiss on command and hands out kisses at will. If you're Latina, you're probably prone to lavish your children with lots of hugs and besitos–it's in our nature to be outwardly affectionate. My son actually learned to kiss on command at about four months and now, at a mere eight months he gives kisses out whenever the mood strikes him. We're teaching our little ones to be comfortable expressing their feelings, and they'll undoubtedly benefit from that in future relationships.
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2. You feed your baby all our amazing Latino super foods! In recent years, avocado has become quite the trendy food and is now touted for its super powers–it's an excellent source of healthy fats that aid in brain development and is loaded with fiber, so it does wonders for digestion. But if you ask any Latino, they'd tell you it's old news–we grew up on the stuff, so of course we feed it to our babies. I guess we're just ahead of the game when it comes to infant nutrition.
3. You're not afraid of the chancleta! You know the importance of balancing all that love and affection with a firm line when it comes to discipline. Your child knows the meaning of "no" and learned to respect his elders from an early age. My son may be young, and he may not understand everything I'm trying to teach him just yet, but as my parents were with me, I'm steadfast in correcting and redirecting bad or inappropriate behavior.
4. You respect your elders. Sometimes our abuelas and mamis get it right when it comes to child rearing, and we're not afraid to admit it. Sure there are times when advice from our elders can be annoying or frustrating, but oftentimes they know exactly what they're talking about–even if it doesn't jibe with the words of your pediatrician. When your gut feeling tells you Mami is right and you end up with a happier baby because you followed her advice, you don't hesitate to sing her praises.
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