Latina Moms | Daughters
Aren’t you scared that he will want to meet his birth mother one day? I am sometimes asked this by well-meaning acquaintances or people who have reached out to me because they are interested in adoption. When I hear that question, what I hear more than just the words is the fear associated with it. [...]
There is nothing more affirming for a child than seeing himself somehow reflected in the books he reads. From becoming a big brother to learning how to share, little kids love to see the characters in their books—whether they are bears and ducks or little boys and girls—face their same situations. For a child who [...]
Just weeks ago, my four year old son asked for a little sister. That question resulted in an interesting conversation, but there was probably a striking difference from what would have been talked about in most homes. You see, my little boy didn’t just want to know where babies come from; he also wanted to [...]
Creativity. So many of us think of it as something we have or don’t have. And, yet, that’s far from the truth. Each one of us has a creative instinct, and we use our creativity on a daily basis—from organizing a project to getting dressed in the morning. While each of us is inherently creative, [...]
It started with a whisper. What are you going to do? What are you going to do? What are you going to do? In 2007, my first book, Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Image, and Growing Up Latina was published and as I toured the country to promote it, I tried to work in visits to [...]
Four years ago, my husband and I traveled to Ethiopia to meet and bring home our son. As I reflect on our four years together as a family, I know that our most important work was done in those early days, weeks, and months where we worked deliberately to build a relationship with our baby [...]
Are you riddled with too many responsibilities and not enough time? Do you feel you need more hours in the day? Do you want a life that feels more in tune with what you care about and less weighed down with obligations? Then what you probably need is to say NO more often, and we’re [...]
Years ago, before I was a mother, I flew halfway across the country to take care of a dear friend’s children so she and her husband could take a much needed vacation. Though her three kids were still young, they were all well-trained in how to pitch in around the house. That visit gave me [...]
As the end of the year approaches, you are likely searching for the perfect family picture for a holiday card. If you are like many moms, chances are that you can’t find any pictures with you in them. Have you been avoiding the camera as a way to not face your body image angst? Instead [...]
One of my students once told me that his dad’s advice for giving gifts to women was: Never something with a plug. Depending on what the plug belongs to (a vacuum cleaner vs. an e-reader), that probably isn’t bad advice. But sometimes we could use more suggestions. Are you looking for the perfect holiday gift [...]
