It has been two years since my daughter was born and every night while putting her to sleep I think about the person she will one day become. I think about the daunting task parents have in raising confident, kind, and productive members of society. I sit in her dark bedroom and also think about the challenges she will one day face and my heart … Continue reading The advice I wish someone would have given me as a kid
The worst thing parents and care takers can do to their children, in my opinion, is to feel sorry for them. As a Brooklyn born Puertoriqueña, I call it the curse of the “bendito”. In my family we have used the term bendito way too many times. From when little Johnny falls and scrapes his knee to when Doña Maria’s roof caves in from a tropical storm. The phrase is used in pretty much every situation to denote sympathy or frustration and while some things do garner sympathy the truth is that there will be many experiences we have no control over. We have to teach our children how to rise above their circumstances. Continue reading (The Mami Chronicles) On Parenting: How to raise confident kids
July 27, 2013 It feels like I waited a lifetime for you and by other’s standards I have. I was 35 when you were born. Most of my friends’ kids are already teenagers and here I am celebrating your first birthday. There are times when it all still seems so surreal to me. I feel like I am in the best dream that one day … Continue reading The Mamí Chronicles: A Letter to My Daughter on her 1st Birthday
nancy arroyo ruffin 