The modern Latina mom just added more chores to her already crammed to do list! I always ask: “How do you do it?” I have no kids and I can barely keep up with my own to do lists! This had me wondering whether they are on some drug I simply must get my hands on or if they have a secret they are afraid to disclose to the rest of us! How do these women keep their act together without going crazy? Recently, a few super Latina moms disclosed to me just how they manage. Turns out, they do so in very human ways, even if we think they are “super women,” (which, to me, they are) they resort to finding strength and keeping their cool, each in their own way.
The modern Latina mom job description
- Is still the one who keeps the family together.
- Celebrates family gatherings, coordinating parties to make sure all members stay close.
- She also, at times, home-schools, sometimes becoming a teacher overnight!
- She works a regular job or from home and often does overtime.
- She keeps in close contact with friends regularly.
- She does the grocery shopping, either on her own or with all her kids.
- She prepares meals on Sundays so she can have some leeway during the week.
- She cleans and even if she is lucky enough to have some help, she is the one who picks up after everyone around the house.
- She likes to do the laundry herself because some partners seem to be color blind and can’t separate whites from color.
- She runs around taking her kids to after school activities and picking them up, and is never late, of course.
- She helps her kids with their homework because, for some reason, the material imparted at school is often not clear enough for the children to be able to do it on their own.
- She still tries to look her best in the midst of all this chaos, and makes it a priority to take care of herself.
- She makes sure she plans kids’ vacation time months ahead, often by spending hours over the computer trying to figure out schedules and summer camps without going broke.
- She deals with the household budget and often might be scolded for spending too much so she has to juggle finances too!
- And the list goes on…
The job description might sound familiar and a bit exaggerated, but in reality? It’s not. At least the many women I have talked to, do all or almost all the above and more.
How do they hold it together without going crazy?
These were some responses I got when I asked these Latina moms to clue me in on how they survive:
- I sometimes curl into a ball and cry for a while. Take a nap and go back to work refreshed!
- Lots of coffee!
- Go to conferences for a few days and take it in part as a time out!
- Try to get all work done while children are asleep (which might mean any time of day or night, if they have a baby!)
- Go for a real early 5 a.m. run! Before anyone is up!
- Get the children in bed by seven no matter what! (To get some studying done, said one woman working on her PhD.)
- Sneak away for a mani/pedi.
- Go to bed early.
- Walk at the beach.
- Give myself quiet and special time.
- Read something powerful.
- Go for a walk.
- Enjoy a drink once in a while!
A few of the women I talked to get some very appreciated help from their spouses. Others don’t, but they don’t seem to ask for it either. Some are single moms too! Yet all these women do not only do what their moms did, but have taken over a much bigger role. All these women are trailblazers and have all my respect! Whether they think they are or not, the modern Latina mom is certainly a “super mom!”
Originally published in VOXXI as Modern Latina moms take on the world
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