My blog, Raising Español, honors Hispanic Heritage Month by doing what we try to do everyday: show our four year old the importance of speaking Spanish and the importance of being bicultural. Does it sound challenging? Because let me tell you, it is!
Our journey, documented in my blog, is about my attempt to raise a four year old in a Spanish-only home. It is testimony to the fact that it involves so much more than just language. It involves the effort to show my child that his culture is important. That he is important. That our language is important.
I write about how valuable our son’s abuelitas are in helping us raise him. Not only do they communicate with our son in Spanish, they also help him understand where he comes from. My son knows that one abuelita is from Guatemala and that he’ll eat black beans con crema (sour cream) with her. He knows that his other abuelita is from Mexico, and that he’ll huevo con weenie (eggs and hot dog) with her.
I also document how my husband and I make it a point to maintain our traditions by the simple, yet mindful, actions. We’ll buy corn from our local street vendor during soccer practice, we’ll listen to reggaeton and cumbias in the car, we’ll eat pan dulce (sweet bread) on the weekends , we’ll watch cartoons in Spanish, we’ll take bi-annual trips to Rosarito, Mexico (which is only a three hour drive away from Los Angeles), and most importantly we’ll speak to each other in Spanish. I am constantly on the search for new Spanish/bilingual cartoons, books, apps, and music. All of this is done with the intention of keeping our Hispanic culture, our Latino culture, prevalent in our son’s life.
And I write about the challenges that our journey comes with. Like our son attending an English only preschool, and the everyday exposure of the language. I write about how he is speaking more English at home even with the constant reminders to speak Spanish. This just makes our job, as parents, even more important and aware of how we need to incorporate our culture.
Hispanic Heritage Month is what we try to do year round. We look for ways to implement as much of our cultures into our household with love, understanding, and patience. And I love documenting it on our blog and posting our recommendations on Instagram.
*** Analily Morales is a local mom from a neighboring city of Downey. Downey Macaroni Kid contacted her to share her story about her how her family celebrates her heritage in her home.
To follow her blog and her families stories please visit RAISING ESPANOL
Follow her on Instagram: raisingespanol
