I’ve been introduced to a new culture the last 7 years. Mexican families don’t push their kids out (emotionally when young, nor physically when older), and their families are very tight-knit, a foreign experience to me. I’ve learned the benefits of this, and have yet to discern any costs.
It’s made for an interesting education in the workings of families that show unconditional love in more than just sentiment toward their children, and the children reciprocate it the rest of their lives.
My visits to Mexico have only confirmed what I’ve witnessed among my wife’s family intrapersonally. I’ve also witnessed what this quote talks about, relatives asking for affection, and when they don’t get it, they back off and try again later. My wife’s uncle tried every day to get affection from my daughter, and she denied him over and over. The day before we left, she finally gave it to him, but was back to rejecting him the following day. Nobody ever tried to force the issue.
They have a certain respect for children that I rarely see here (in Utah). Something I mocked at first but now look to fondly, is a holiday they call “Dia del Nino”. A Father’s day or Mother’s day, but for their children. The latino community here celebrates this with fun activities at the Salt Lake Library every year. Maybe my wife’s gigantic family is the exception, but it’s certainly one to emulate. Different cultures can sometimes teach us the failings of our own.
Skyler.
