Needing some advice! I’m a first time expecting mother to a little girl. I’m white and my husband is Mexican. My little nugget will be Hispanic/Latina. As our date draws near my husband’s family has been getting so eager and excited to not only meet her, but teach her about her culture. I know I am not Latina and would never deprive my child of her heritage. I am so thankful that his family is stepping up and helping us raise to raise this baby. It does take a village.

But to parents with mixed children. What are our roles in helping our children learn their culture? I don’t want my child or even myself feel later on that I couldn’t give her a big part of who she is? Does that make sense? My best friends, her Tias even mention how they’re going to “show her how to be Latina”. Is this bad? do they mean harm? What are they really meaning? They want great things for her so I’m not offended. I just want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to raise this little girl to be everything she wants to be and more. No matter what her race/ethnicity is.

Update:

Thanks y’all for your comments!

I plan on teaching my daughter important female figures of all colors, but most importantly Latinas. My child will learn Spanish, she has many teachers that can help her, I know how to read and write, I just don’t speak it well. We have found a school here near us that does elementary school education in Spanish and English and plan on taking her to a place like that when she is school age.

My concern was because I just didn’t take well with “we will teach her how to be a real Latina woman” comment from a couple people in our family. It’s my husbands job to raise our sons if we ever have any how to be a man. My job to teach our daughter and any other daughters how to be a woman.

It seems you all have great support and respect. I just felt that they didn’t think I can raise a Latina woman well. I have embraced my husbands culture, welcomed it into our home. The only wife in his family to go to the ranch in Mexico and mix with the family. So for them to act like I will be leaving a hole in my child’s life hurt. Like really hurt.

I don’t have any culture to give? Maybe that’s my stress. I’m just white. My family has found out recently where we are from and we haven’t ever done anything “welsh” or “Scottish”. So I don’t have any culture from me to teach. I’m glad my kid has women in her life already so eager to teach her things, but I don’t like that some feel obligated like I won’t be able to help her find out who she is.

Maybe I’m just butthurt...