10 Signs You’ve Become a Latina Mom

If legacy building is passing down tradition, cultures and values from one generation to the next, I would say that my Latina mom definitely accomplished that. Try as I may to blend our day to day lives with both of their heritages, my kids are growing up with a definite lean towards the Latino culture. Raising multiracial children can be a tricky thing! Even Daddy D calls himself an honorary Latino!

Don’t get me wrong, my husband has strong self-awareness. He is an African American man with great parents who raised him to be the wonderful father he is today. But I guess that’s the thing with mixed race families and blending two different cultures: you begin to embrace identities you weren’t necessarily born into.

10 Signs You’ve Become a Latina Mom

Whether by birth or by luck (totally kidding!), here are 10 signs that you’re motherhood is leaning towards the stereotypical version of Latina motherhood…

1. Family is done your way: Latino men are generalized as machismo and domineering. Whether or not that stereotype is reality doesn’t really matter, because when it comes to familia, mom runs the show. I really do try to avoid generalizations, but the idea that Latina moms largely control family life is very much true in our household!

2. Food is love… so finish your plate!: Oh man, I try to suppress this tendency SO hard, but one sign you’re a Latina mom is when you gauge your family’s happiness on how well they eat. In our home, this is called the “Happy Plate.” Horrible! I know! But true, nonetheless.

3. Rice and beans: As a kid, I remember begging my mom, “Por favor, can we just have hot dogs for dinner like everyone else?!” Now as a Latina mom, my kids eat arroz y frijoles or arroz con pollo or some variation of rice pretty much every night of the week. My poor husband only gets his childhood favorites when his mama cooks for him.

4. You buy ALL THE INSURANCE: For Latinos with immigration stories in recent generations, the feeling that “nothing is promised” is something we grow up with. During my bicultural childhood, I picked up on my parents’ urgency to insure their most important possessions. Health insurance? A must! Car insurance? Always! We’ve been an Allstate family for generations and, not only am I excited to partner with them for this post, I use their insurance tools and resources website to learn how to best protect my family and our home. This article on questions to ask before buying life insurance was super helpful when Daddy D and I were deciding how much to purchase.

5. It’s always cold enough for a sweater: So make sure you have one on hand! And make sure to cover your face, especially your nose and mouth – and don’t forget your chest! – so not to breathe in cold air. And don’t even think about walking around the house without socks on!

6. Sana sana colita de rana is our secret power: Watching my babies soothe each other’s boo-boos with this sweet (if not utterly weird) song makes my Latina mom heart super happy.

7. You want a sleepover?: What’s a sleepover? Estas loca niña?! A constant debate during my bicultural childhood, Latina moms sound like broken records when it comes to sleepovers at friends’ homes: no, no y no.

8. I’m strict: As noted above and according to friends, I’m the “strict mom.” I explain to them that I’m the watered down version and that I knew how to spell no by the age of 6 months, but I still manage to gain the “strict mom” accolade. I’ll just go ahead and call it being a Latina mom.

9. “I’m bored” translates to “time to clean”: Oh, you’re bored you say? If you have time to whine about being bored, you’re handed a broom and dust pan. If you whine about putting away your toys, they’re thrown in the trash. If you whine about cleaning, well then…

10. Those we love are everything: I was the kid with a big social life. Plenty of friends and other influences would often steer me away, but my mom would constantly remind me that “family comes first.” Now in my own motherhood, “family” looks a lot different than it did was I was a kid. No longer an environment of purely Latino influence, I’ve learned that those we love – those who reinforce our values and understand our unique journey – come first.

It’s not always about blood, but those who we commit our love towards. Cultures and languages can be bridged and multiracial mothers understand that loving someone is the ultimate legacy you pass down.

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.