Tips on Sharing Hispanic Heritage with Kids
Morales Funeral Home President and CEO Christina Morales remembers trying her hardest as a child to “fit in” and not draw attention to her Mexican culture and heritage. A lot has changed over the years, but Christina couldn’t be prouder of her background and how hard her family worked to open the first Hispanic-owned funeral home in Houston.
Our caring team here at Morales celebrates our heritage and wants to pass on our pride in our Latino roots to our children and grandchildren. How do we celebrate our cultural richness and keep our heritage alive at home? Here are our ideas:
Prioritize family relationships, even when life is chaotic.
The word “family” defines being Latino more than any other, and nurturing a sense of pride in culture and family is important from a young age. While together, listen to music your family grew up singing, have adults tell stories from their own childhoods, and pass along prayers or poems you’ve come to love over the years.
Keep family recipes in the meal rotation.
It goes without saying that there is a great deal of ethnic pride reflected in what foods we buy and cook for our children. Invite relatives over to prepare their favorites. If there are dishes that have been in the family for decades, write them down so your children will always have the recipes on hand – whether or not they’ve committed them to memory.
Take a family vacation to your country of origin.
Visiting your or your parent or grandparents’ home country will connect your child to their heritage like none other. The culture, the language, the history – giving your children the opportunity to be immersed in the richness of their background will be an experience like none other.
Map out your family tree, and the landmarks and monuments in your home country.
Help your children know their roots by making note of family milestones, from birthdays to weddings to immigration dates. You can also introduce your children to the history of your culture by learning about the buildings that make it unique.
If you have ways you keep your heritage front and center for your children or grandchildren, we would love to hear about it! Please share in the comments below, or stop by anytime to tell us in person. We always enjoy meeting our friends and neighbors, and want you to remember that we are here to help you any way we can.
