Procter & Gamble (P&G) hosted a "Thank you, mom" panel to discuss the ever changing roles of parenting in today's society. One of P&G's panelists was MamásLatinas co-founderLucia Ballas-Traynor who, along with the other speakers, expressed their thoughts on parenting in their respective households.
But Lucia brought to light the one thing the majority of moms have in common: the need to be in touch with their culture.
Parents and American Baby Editor-in-Chief Dana Points explained how their company's research has found that pregnancy and new motherhood causes women who have drifted from their original culture to suddenly want to be in touch with it because they want to pass on those ideal to their kids too.
Read more ¿Qué más?: 20 Signs that you were raised by Latino parents
This isn't a surprise as being Latino in the United States can be a challenge as we struggle to stay true to our roots and also fit in with our American friends. Lucia found herself in that predicament after arriving here from her native Chile and marrying a non-Latino. This made it more difficult after she learned her son was hearing-impaired and was told by his therapist that the family could only speak in English due to his new cochlear implant.
However, she explains that being Latino is more than speaking Spanish. She said:
"Spanish is a big part of our culture but I realized that it goes way beyond Spanish. For me it's the food, the little dichos, the fact that we go back to Chile every year, it's an attitude, its making them proud of our culture through all the passion points that differentiate us."
Lucia is right. We've also thought of other ways as mamis we're always trying to reconnect with our culture. Here are the top 5 ways as a mami somehow help you reconnect with our Latino heritage:
Music: Whether it's Bachata, Merengue, Salsa, Samba, or Mambo, there's a reason why even the gringos want to be at our parties. And why wouldn't we want to teach our kids how to be the ultimate dancer at school?
Food: Okay, how many times have you had a non-Latino friend tell you they love our food? Every Latino country has a special delicacy to bring to the table and Latin food just happens to be way too savory. Pass the empanadas please!
Language: Our language is considered sexy and dripping with passion. There are also people who don't speak Spanish who want to hear us speak it–even if they don't understand what we're saying. And when we want to make something known, we don't just say it, we do a whole animated dance for you!
Games: Remember when your abuela would sing you lullabies like "Los Pollitos Dicen" or when your mom taught you "Arroz con Leche"? They're adorable sing-alongs that you'll definitely want to pass on to your kids.
Discipline: One word: La chancleta. Most Latino kids know that when their mom whips out la chancleta that she means business. The same applies to el cinturón, and although we don't condone violence, these kept many of us in line for many years!
Image via Thinkstock
