Tag: motherhood

About Me, Family, Inspirational, Love, Mamihood, Personal, The Mami Chronicles

A Mother’s Letter to Her Daughter on Her 1st Birthday (for Alexah)

It takes 365 days for the Earth to complete its orbit around the sun. Today signifies the completion of your first revolution. The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is 92.96 million miles. The average distance between a dream and its manifestation is the number of times your knees have bled while clinging to the ground in prayer. You are my greatest prayer manifested in human form and for the rest of my life I will remember this moment, and be grateful that you chose me to be the vessel to bring you into this world. Continue reading A Mother’s Letter to Her Daughter on Her 1st Birthday (for Alexah)

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Family, Inspirational, Love, Mamihood, Personal, Poems, The Mami Chronicles

The Mamí Chronicles: The Gift of Mothering

I watch you in the morning while you are sleeping. I prepare my altar carefully so not to disturb you. I burn sage to remove unwanted spirits. They say this is how you keep the evil away. The smoke fills the air. The faint light of dawn creeps through the window highlighting the softness of your face. The stillness of the room interrupted only by … Continue reading The Mamí Chronicles: The Gift of Mothering

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Family, Love, Mamihood, Personal, The Mami Chronicles

The Mamí Chronicles: A Letter to My Daughter on Her 4th Birthday

You are growing up so differently than your father and me. Your experiences are going to be different and I can only pray and wish that you always know just how beautiful and strong you are. Always know that you come from good stock. You have a family who loves you, protects you, and will always defend you…no matter what. Know that when it feels like the entire world is against you home is where you can always return to feel loved and be safe. Always trust your instincts. Treat others with the same kindness and respect that you expect for yourself and those you love. Never be afraid to stand up for yourself or for injustices. Mommy and daddy will always, ALWAYS have your back. You can bank on that. Continue reading The Mamí Chronicles: A Letter to My Daughter on Her 4th Birthday

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About Me, Career, Family, Mamihood, Personal

The Mamí Chronicles: Family, Career, & Personal Fulfillment- How to juggle it all

Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement. Most of us want it all, but many women struggle with the idea of having it all and often find themselves having to choose between having a happy fulfilled family life and having an equally thriving career. As a woman who has both, I don’t subscribe to the notion that … Continue reading The Mamí Chronicles: Family, Career, & Personal Fulfillment- How to juggle it all

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Family, Inspirational, Love, Mamihood, Personal, Writing

Overcoming Setbacks: Dealing with loss and how we recover

The red stain on my underwear pierced my eyes. It was the one thing I had not envisioned, yet here I was living my worst nightmare. I’ve never experienced this before so I don’t know what to expect. Yesterday there was a light stain and today too. Everything that I’ve read says that I should be experiencing cramping and that the blood will come in clots. Chunks of my deepest desire flowing through me like a poison releasing itself from my body. That’s what a miscarriage is. It is an abnormality in the fetus. The chromosomes didn’t split properly. Proof that what I believed was my miracle really wasn’t. Continue reading Overcoming Setbacks: Dealing with loss and how we recover

Nancy Arroyo Ruffin5 Comments
Family, Mamihood, Personal, The Mami Chronicles, Writing

(The Mami Chronicles) The Curse of Bendito: How to raise confident kids

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 Juan 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) The Curse of Bendito: How to raise confident kids

Nancy Arroyo Ruffin4 Comments
Family, Love, Mamihood, Writing

NOT MY MOTHER’S DAUGHTER: On mothering and changing my legacy

*The following essay was originally published on MUTHA Magazine* I haven’t always had the best relationship with my mother. There were times when I felt like I hated her; despised her even. There were times when I needed her and she wasn’t there. Times when I wanted her to fight for my sister and me, but instead she chose herself. My father says that we … Continue reading NOT MY MOTHER’S DAUGHTER: On mothering and changing my legacy

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About Me, Mamihood, Personal

(The Mamí Chronicles) Night Terrors, Toddlers, & What you should know

I’d wake from my sleep and find her in her room standing in her crib, eyes wide open and full of tears. When I’d reach out to hold her or console her the screaming and crying got worse. It was as if she’d seen a monster and I was it. It was the most terrifying thing I’d ever experienced. As her mother, my first instinct was to try and soothe her, but everything I did just made it worse. Continue reading (The Mamí Chronicles) Night Terrors, Toddlers, & What you should know

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About Me, Love, Mamihood, Personal, The Mami Chronicles, Writing

The advice I wish someone would have given me as a kid

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

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About Me, Love, Mamihood, Writing

The Mamí Chronicles: A letter to my daughter on her 2nd birthday (July 27, 2014)

July 27, 2014   Today is your birthday. There was no big party this year just a small and intimate celebration with your grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. We spent it with the people who love and care for you most. As I sit in your dark bedroom rocking you to sleep, your tiny hands hang flaccidly against your side as you nestle your body … Continue reading The Mamí Chronicles: A letter to my daughter on her 2nd birthday (July 27, 2014)

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