By the time I was 26, my husband and I had already been married five years, the last two of which he had often expressed his readiness to start a family. Being a couple of years younger and a bit more practical, I thought we should wait. I wasn't quite ready emotionally, and I definitely didn't think we were ready financially. But shortly before I hit that 26th birthday, baby fever hit hard.
I'd really like to be able to think of myself as a young, hip mamá. Though in saying that I feel kind of not young and not hip. Nevertheless, I'd probably get a decent ranking on the cool scale. But, looking back to the me of two or three years ago, a lot has changed. Four major--albeit shallow--things come to mind.
Here's how my little guy has changed me:
Continue Reading >
When my son was born I realized that what they said was true: As a mom--and a super protective mamá Latina at that--I would probably do ANYTHING for my little guy. But these moms in Spain took this "anything" to a whole other level when they posed nude in order to raise money to get their kids' school a new bus.
Now is that dedication or what?
¿Por qué será que los latinos tenemos tantos temas tabúes entre nosotros mismos --desde hablar sobre la homosexualidad en nuestras familias hasta las relaciones sexuales antes del matrimonio--? No querer abordar temas tan importantes como estos, puede afectar a nuestras familias en muchos niveles y dar como resultado, que nuestros hijos nunca conozcan algunas verdades y realidades. Como comenta nuestra editora Johanna Torres, a veces como madres tenemos que forzarnos a discutir temas difíciles "para que las cosas no se queden tan estáticas". Hablamos abiertamente sobre todo esto y más en este capítulo de ¡Oye!
I hate to admit it, but I have a foul mouth and it's something I've really had to work on, the older my kids get. I only speak to my children in Spanish, but my bad words come out in English, Spanish or Spanglish. But because deep down inside I know none of it is right and I hate telling them not to do something and then turn around and do just that, I've cleaned up my act A LOT. These days, when they're around and I feel a bad word creeping up, I'll make sure to change into gibberish--a nonesense word that means nothing and usually makes them laugh if they're listening.
So I was mortified when I watched a clip from Bristol Palin's--Sarah Palin's infamous daughter--reality show Life's a Tripp in which her son, Tripp, allegedly calls her aunt a "faggot."
Motherhood does appear to be inching later in life for more and more women these days. And there are many personal reasons for this choice. For some though, it's the opposite as they're worried about becoming late mothers and its possible consequences. What was/is your choice? That and more in this episode of ¡Oye!
Continue Reading >
Moms, have you ever wished there was some sort of device that could prevent your kid from giving into sexual temptation? Your prayers have been answered – meet the Purity Ring 3000! It might look like an ordinary piece of jewelry but it does oh so much more!
As you can see in the "commercial" below, the Purity Ring 3000 is designed specifically to force your children into abstinence. How? When the ring detects the smell of pheromones (a chemical factor released when attraction levels spike), it releases its own smell –a gross one that immediately causes all those around the offending teen, including any cute guys or girls, to run away and take cover. If their body experiences an increase in heart rate due to desire, a disco ball-like strobe light and ear-piercing alarm sets off in response.
Ok baby, let's have a little talk. We will have hundreds of these moments, where I tell you something you need to know and you may (hopefully) choose to listen to me--or not. Today, I'm going to lay down some wisdom about Mother's Day.
See, for me this will be my first real Mother's Day. Yes, when I was pregnant with you, your father very sweetly bought me gifts and celebrated for me--which was weird for me because I didn't feel like a mom yet. Then last year, you were like, 9 months old and still hadn't slept through the night and were suffering from reflux and ear infections. I seem to have that mommy-amnesia that keeps me from remembering horrible times because I really can't recall how the occasion was marked, which is fine because YOU couldn't really do anything for me for Mother's Day yet anyway.
This year, however, you are almost 2 years old and there are some things it would be great if YOU could do to help me celebrate this day:
Continue Reading >
Recuerdo que cuando viví un tiempo en Alemania una de las cosas que más me llamó la atención, es que casi no se veían niños en la calle. Es más, la "escasez" de pequeñitos era tal, que recuerdo alguna vez haber visto en una revista, un mensaje que animaba a la gente a que tuviera más niños, como parte de una campaña para prevenir el "envejecimiento" de la población. El mismo fenómeno observé en España, donde cada vez que veía un niño, hasta se me hacía raro, porque era más común ver a adultos jóvenes y gente mayor caminando por las calles que a niños.
Continue Reading >
Ready for some more extreme parenting? This week, Colorado father, Joseph Gonzalez, made his son, Jose, carry a sign that tells the world he's a "thief." After Jose stole $100 from a relative's wallet, Gonzalez said the 12-year-old will be spending a large portion of his spring break holding the sign on a street corner in Denver.
Gonzalez chose the location because it is located near his place of work, a local pawn shop, where he can keep an eye on the boy. "I am a thief. I took money from a family member," reads the sign Jose has to hold.
