You might also like:
Photo by the author
1. You dress your kids with a thousand layers of clothes.
2. You take your kids to the pediatrician after the third sneeze.
Both my mom and my mother in law gave me the same advice: take your kid to the doctor as soon as you suspect he has the flu… and yes, that only made the doctor sent me back home thinking I’m an overreacting looney and with $20 less in my Copay. Now I know better: saline drops and Tylenol if there’s a fever. Problem solved!
3. You have that issue with your last name.
When I got married I didn’t change my last name for my husband’s. That’s not the way it works in Mexico and I also like my last name better (please, don’t tell him). This resulted in me and my son having different last names! Sometimes I wonder if people think I’m just the nanny.
4. There’s still a piñata party for every birthday.
Yes, piñatas are originally from Mexico, but they’re now so famous that you can find super nice piñatas even at Target. Good to know! It’s really good to see this country embracing our traditions.
5. You have relaxed your fashion sense.
US moms love to go around in sportswear the whole day, every day. And that doesn’t imply they’re heading in or out of the gym at all. You can even go to the supermarket or to the movies dressed like that! There’s an old expression in Mexico: “al pueblo que fueres, haz lo que vieres” (wherever you go, do as the rest), and it definitely applies here. Thank god for yoga pants!
6. You now practice the old classic, “good job!”
I have mixed feelings about this. I like my kid to notice when he accomplishes something good, but Americans compliment children way too much! They sneeze “good job!”, they break wind, “good job!” That’s the reason why my son stares at me expectantly with every step he takes, surprised by the lack of constant compliments!
7. You discovered some new and strange traditions.
Like smashing the cake! Wtf? I wasn’t aware this was a thing, at least I never heard of it in Mexico. The idea of having a cake destroyed by your baby for a photo shoot is super cheesy… and I’m totally into it! I love how baby girls look in their little tutus! I have to say that my boy refused to even touch his cake in his first year’s celebration. Maybe next time.
8. You find it strange that there are Mandarin classes for toddlers.
¡Amonos cabrón! They can’t even speak English and you’re expecting them to learn Mandarin? For real?
9. You’re part of a mom to mom group.
Oh my god, there are so many of those! I never heard of anything similar back in Mexico, but they are amazing. No doubt the leftovers of some people are treasures for someone else. Sometimes I just wanna buy every beautiful baby girl dress that pops up in the group, then I remember I don’t even have a girl!
10. And to continue with the shopping business…
You can’t just live without coupons! Coupons in the supermarket, in the snail mail, in the magazines and in your email, and sometimes they’re good! And yes, sometimes you end up paying more than what you originally intended, but who can really blame you for that. The savvy shopper feeling you get at the end of a coupon shopping session is just uncomparable.
11. Chicken nuggets and hot dogs… you have been there.
I’d love to say that Mexican moms feeds their children with vegetable soup and fish fillets, but that’d be the greatest lie (ok, maybe some of them actually do it). I must confess that I tried it and I failed. My kid is one of those picky eaters whose diet is entirely based in three types of food: cheese, yoghurt and bananas, but he’s doing excellent nevertheless!
Source: matadornetwork.com