my family… i’m super lucky
When I was on maternity leave, one of my dear friends asked me if I had figured out what I was going to do for childcare. I answered that my mom was going to babysit. My friend said “darn I was born into the wrong culture.” Comments like these remind me how *incredibly* lucky I am to have a supporting and loving family.
If you are Hispanic, you know that by “family” I don’t only mean mom, dad and brothers and sisters. For us, Families are much larger: abuelas, abuelos, tíos, tías, and (if you’re lucky like me!) lots of cousins! (Yes ladies and gents, I have 27 cousins on my father’s side—and that’s FIRST cousins—I won’t even go into the second and third cousins, and the godbrothers and godsisters and the kids of the lady I call TIA but she’s not really my tía by blood but by feelings… yes, a lot of people. )
Family is an important part of Hispanic culture*. In fact, a recent study says that Familia is the number one priority for Latina women, before career. (I found this study on one of my favorite websites: spanglishbaby.com check it out: ) So many members of my family go above and beyond every day— from the HUGE things (like taking care of my son) to the little things, (like picking me up at the train station so I don’t have to walk home with groceries).
So this is a HUGE THANK YOU! to my family, who brings out the best in me, comforts me, makes me laugh so hard until I cry, helps me put furniture together (ok—puts furniture together for me!), picks me up at the airport so I don’t have to cab it, makes me avena Quaker, and brings back the essentials from Ecuador (cookies, cheese, tuna, chocolate, coffee—yum I see a post about food in the future!)
Gracias Ma, Pa, Andres, Carlos, tios, tias, primos, primas!
Also, thanks to my hubby who has accepted my crazy family and made it his own =)
*Many other cultures (European and Asian are examples) value families and extended families highly.