April 2020 to April 2021 brought so much expansion to Latinx Parenting and there is so much gratitude for it. Our team grew and our website needed to catch up with this expansion too. In March 2021 our Community Partnership Coordinator, and also photographer, Karissa Raya, photographed 7 families for our branded media and new website relaunch. It was our first project like this and we look forward to our next familias photoshoot one day!
Here’s what some of the parents had to share about their experience:
Everyone did a fabulous job in creating a safe space (physically, emotionally, etc.) wherein we could remain present and share our lives with you. I am grateful that my daughter and I were able to participate in this experience with you. It gave us an opportunity to create new memories while reflecting on our past. I was also very proud to show my little one how powerful Latinx women are and how she can continue to use her voice and claim her space in our world. Seeing the world through her eyes reminds me how much representation matters. Muchísimas gracias!
—Alva Alvarez
It was a wonderful and warm experience. We have never had our family photos taken ever so we were all very excited.
—Heidi Lopez-Seid
“It starts with the matriarch of the family; my mother Isabel; she came to this country in hopes of providing a better education for her Deaf children. I am the last of seven children and growing up with my family, mostly Deaf; it was definitely an experience I wouldn’t trade. My illiterate mother made sure with her limited experience in this country that we had everything we needed. With her hard work, she accomplished it! I admit I was a typical teenager living the rebellious American lifestyle and in hindsight didn’t accept where I came from; dealing with many identity issues from wanting to be Deaf like my family, to questioning who I am as a Chicana. I really look up to my mother and forgive her for her upbringing which reflected a lot on how she raised us. It really puts everything into perspective on how I raise my girls, and admire the very hands that made our tortillas, boiled our frijoles, charred our salsa to caressing my hair, and giving me the perseverance to push forward. Ama, you are my world and I can’t express enough how much I value you; Siempre eres mi reina. Te amo!”
—Zornoza-Garcia Family
“She is a fierce social advocate and is quick to advocate for others when needed. She has a voice and she is unapologetic about it. Through her I see the child I was unable to be when I was growing up and I applaud her and encourage her as much as I can. She makes me a better version of myself. We now live with my parents and I often find myself re-parenting my parents and myself because I do not want her to grow up with the same hurtful cycles I grew up in.”
—Alva on her daughter Emma
Alva and Emma looking through Alva’s quinceañera album for the first time together. It was such a precious moment to see the laughs, hear the stories and the details as Alva remembers them.
Our immediate family consists of myself and my two boys, Héctor (13 yo) and Mateo (9 yo). Their father and I separated 5 years ago and the divorce was finalized in 2018. It has been a difficult journey learning to be a single mother while working full time and being the sole provider for my boys and also completing a master’s program in the process. We have gone through many ups and downs but are working through them and trying to explore different ways for our family to bond and grow stronger.
Silvia
We hope you can feel the intention and love through these photos. You can Karissa’s website here: www.olivelavida.com and if you’re local to Orange County, California she is available for hire!
🎨: @beverlylove
It's always so interesting and a true gift to see what our kids choose to be for Halloween when given total choice over their costumes. 🤩
May we always encourage our children to freely express every aspect of themselves and not project our own old socially-constructed programming about what they “should” do, like, or be in this world. Let's give them the autonomy to decide and embrace the things they show interest in. 🎃
And also, let's not forget---it's also up to us to guide children in understanding that **CULTURE IS NOT A COSTUME** so that we can, as a family, be careful and conscious about the harms of appropriation.
What costumes did your children choose this year? 👻
#Halloween #LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #thecyclestopsconmigo
Parents & adults—I know it’s Monday but let’s enjoy some Halloween fun! Give yourselves permission to not take yourselves super seriously today, K?! JUEGA! PLAY! Use this opportunity to let your inner child shine and play, too. Your children will appreciate it far beyond Halloween. 🥰
So, what are you dressing up as today? What about your kids⁉️
Happy Halloweeeeen, everyone! 🤩
#Halloween #LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #TheCycleStopsConmigo
👻🎃🧟♀️
I often tell my children that they have a right to say, "No," even to me.
Setting boundaries has not only been good for my children but it’s also benefitted my entire family (my own Mami is so much better at advocating for herself now, too.)
With the holidays just around the corner, it's the perfect time to get comfortable setting boundaries for you and your familia.
✨ As challenging as it can be, it will be liberating for us and generations to come. ✨
Check out the full article under Press Features under our bio!
And, if you'd like to learn more about boundaries and how to set them with confidence, check out our A Mi Manera Workshop! Our supportive workshop will give you the tools to approach different situations respectfully and firmly. Plus, you'll learn how to truly be an advocate for your own kids so they can feel confident using their voices as well.
Then---on November 12th, I'll be holding a LIVE Integration Session where we'll dive into the workshop content a little deeper and discuss all the ways you can implement boundaries with your familia y queridos.
Equity pricing IS available---we don't want anyone to miss out on participating! You can see the details on the checkout page of our workshop.
👉🏽 🔗 in BI0 to save your seat!
#LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #TheCycleStopsConmigo
✨This is your friendly Thursday reminder! ✨
Years ago, my comadre was expressing frustration her struggle to have a relationship with her own parents after her son had been born.
She & her husband lived in the family house & her parents would frequently cross boundaries: expressing preferences between grandchildren, openly giving her & her partner unsolicited advice about how to raise & discipline their son, frequently gaslighting, & guilt-tripping them when they would attempt to set a boundary, undermining any limits attempted to be set with their son, frequently asserting non-consensual affection, & gossiping about other family members including their other kids. 😓
This created a stressful & harmful environment for her little familia. They were trying their best to be grateful, respectful, & tactful about this, but also recognized that it wasn’t healthy for their son to be in that environment, even if it was family.
As a collective cultura, this story may feel familiar to a lot of us. Everybody’s been up in everybody’s business for generations & we’re now realizing that it doesn’t feel good, and it may not be right for our familias.
No matter what, the well-being of our growing niñes comes before the feelings of loved ones. And grandparents, tíos, tías, primas, etc. *DO NOT* have the right to have access to our niñes, period. As their protectors, we have the option to take access away if it gets to a point where boundaries have been violated.
Pero...HOW do we do this? Well, it’s hard! We need support around it, and LOTS of practice.
If you've been struggling to set boundaries in your familia, then I'm inviting you to enroll in our “A MI MANERA” Workshop. We discuss how to set boundaries firmly & communicate our needs with our families while preserving relationships.
Then, on November 12th, I'll be holding a LIVE Integration session for all participants where we’ll gather and talk about the ways we can apply all this to everyday situations. No te lo piedras! ⏰
👉🏽 🔗 in BI0 to learn more & enroll! #LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #TheCycleStopsConmigo
