Comments on: Raising Latinos

By: Tough Cookie Mommy

Tough Cookie Mommy — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:04:00 +0000

Flor, I commend you for maintaining rich cultural traditions alive for your family. It doesn’t matter where we live because we take our heritage with us and we make wherever we are “home.” It is so great to see that many of us struggle with trying to expose our children to customs and traditions that we value and that have been instilled in us since our own childhoods.

By: modernmami

modernmami — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:43:00 +0000

Sounds like you’ve found some very good ways of making it work for you!
Family and stories are a great way to keep culture alive.

By: Flor Olivo

Flor Olivo — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:18:00 +0000

I struggle with this a lot! I grew up in Houston, Texas my husband East Los Angeles. Our parents are Colombian, Mexican, Salvadorian and Guatemalan. We grew up speaking spanish and visiting our parents countries constantly. I’ve found the way to keep culture strong in the very white community of South Jordan, Utah is to constantly remind them of the beauty of our culture. Having barbecues and inviting family. Speaking spanish and reading spanish books. My mother, their abuela, helps a lot with story telling and etiqueta or manners. Most importantly building their esteem so they can learn to embrace their culture even though embracing their Latino culture is not the norm in our community.

By: Tough Cookie Mommy

Tough Cookie Mommy — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:21:00 +0000

You make a great point! Raising bilingual children is not easy at all when you are not raising them in your native country. As we assimilate and conform to where we live, so do our children. I think as long as we continue exposing to important traditions and instilling a sense of pride in their heritage, they will develop a respect and appreciation for where they came from. You are doing a great job!

By: Tough Cookie Mommy

Tough Cookie Mommy — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:21:00 +0000

Thank you, Rachel. I am so glad that you enjoyed the post and I appreciate your support.

By: Rachel White

Rachel White — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:18:00 +0000

Great post.

By: Coco of VidaCoco.com

Coco of VidaCoco.com — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:47:00 +0000

I can relate! My kids are biracial- half Mexican and half Caucasian- so teaching them about both of their ethnic backgrounds and blending the traditions my husband and I grew up with is an ongoing effort. I grew up in a predominately Mexican community on the south side of Chicago and with all of the Mexican traditions. Spanish was my native language and my parents relied on me to translate for them. I have always wanted my kids to be bilingual and while I try to teach them how to speak it, I question how good of a job I am doing at it. Let’s just say, I learned quickly that raising bilingual children is a lot harder than I expected! Other than exposing them to Spanish, I try to teach my kids about their Mexican heritage by having them help me make healthy versions of mi mama’s traditional Mexican recipes, exposing them to cultural traditions and celebrations like Las Posadas and Feliz Dia de Reyes and reading books about Latino culture with them.

By: Chantilly Patiño

Chantilly Patiño — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:35:00 +0000

Maria, sometimes I have felt like my not being Latina could be a crutch to my daughter (more about that in one of my future posts), but I am realizing that the diversity in our family could prepare her in other important ways. I really appreciate being able to connect with other like-minded moms online and furthering the connections to culture and language. Thanks so much for the thoughtful response and inclusion.

By: Tough Cookie Mommy

Tough Cookie Mommy — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:09:00 +0000

Hi, Chantilly. It sounds from your comment like you are a lot more connected than you give yourself credit for. I think that having the level of awareness that you possess is the first step in securing these kinds of cultural ties and connections. It is wonderful that you are involved in the Latino community as I am sure that this provides you with many wonderful opportunities to be immersed in Latino culture and cultural practices. Thank you so much for your sincere feedback!

By: Chantilly Patiño

Chantilly Patiño — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:08:00 +0000

I love this post! I’m not Latina, but I want my daughter to understand her roots and feel at home in the Latino community. I struggle with that every day and have so many regrets because neither I or my husband are fluent in Spanish. We stay involved in within the Latino community, but I can’t help but feel somewhat disconnected because of our lack of fluency and I would love to change that. I also envy families who have had the opportunity to live abroad and be immersed in all things Latino…to have the pride and belonging that you speak of in this post. I hope that we will someday have such an opportunity. This is a great post and I really appreciate your points here…they are very important ones. <3