21 Things I Learned From My Mexican Mom

This is a picture of my mother and me  taken in her San Diego home. I was able to take this picture with her because we took advantage of my husband taking off for the holidays and drove from San Francisco to San Diego, California to usher in the new year with my mother and father-in-spirit.

My mother is the kind of person that inspires larger than life characters in movies, books and art. She’s like that quirky, beautiful, hilarious character in an indie movie that can’t possibly be real because people like that don’t exist except she does exist and she’s my mother. 

If you don’t know her and I tell you about her, you’ll think I’m exaggerating and then one day if you are lucky enough to meet her, you’ll be shocked at just how accurately I described her.

My relationship with her isn’t always easy, but I always love her even when I’m mad at her or when she’s mad at me. As I get older I appreciate her more and admire the way that she is so unabashedly herself. I also appreciate the lessons that she has taught me and continues to teach me. Let me share some of those lessons with you because one of the lessons she’s taught me is that good fortune is meant to be shared. 

RELATED: 17 Signs You Grew up Mexican

Things I Learned From My Mexican Mom

• How to curse like a truck driver. Well, more like how to curse like a Mexican truck driver because it’s all curse words in Spanish that a Mexican truck driver would use. I don’t do it all the time, but it does come in handy when I don’t feel like taking any mierda from hijos de la ching…
• Make the most of what you have. My mother has a sixth grade education, but that has never stopped her from getting what she wants. 
• Ask for what you want. If you want something, then go ahead and ask for it. The worst that can happen is that someone might say no. The best that can happen, and often does, is that you will get exactly what you asked for. 
• Haggle. Prices aren’t set in stone. 
• Be proud. Don’t play small. Know who you are, own it and proudly share it with the world. 
• Say please and thank you ALWAYS. 
• Keep a clean home. A clean home is nice to live in and it’s always guest-ready.
• Buy the shoes. She loves shoes and so do I. 
• Dress to please yourself. Fashion is a way to express yourself. Wear things that make you happy. 
• Laugh often and LOUDLY. 
• Cry if you feel like crying. Why should you be ashamed of being sensitive or having feelings?
• Appreciate your family. Love them and keep in touch with them. 
• Find stores that have incredible deals because you could pay full price for something nice, but why if you can get it for cheaper?
• What other people think of you matters to them. What you think of yourself is what should matter to you. 
• Bring your own snacks to the movies. Yes, they have snacks at the movies, but they are expensive and not even that good. 
• You can make friends of all ages anywhere.
• Money is nice, but don’t mistake its worth for yours because your worth has nothing to do with how much or how little money you have. 
• Eat ALL the good food, but especially ALL the good Mexican food. 
• Wash the dishes before you go to bed so you don’t wake up to a dirty kitchen. You deserve to wake up to a clean kitchen. 
• Be generous. 
• Accept generosity.  

Dispatched from San Diego, California.  

I showed you mine, now show me yours.

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