In a world filled with obstacles, we easily become preoccupied with moving forward and overcoming adversity. In motherhood, we often do not allow ourselves to feel the full scope of our emotions because we want to protect our children. We inevitably fall back on coping mechanisms that may do more harm than good. We fail to realize that being vulnerable during these times can give us the freedom to feel and accept the things we may not always understand.
In our Latino community, we hear generation after generation lament about how our parents are cold and distant. We did not realize that our parents were incapable of expressing themselves out of the fear of vulnerability. They would equate vulnerability to weakness. They had been taught to aguantar during hardships and were not allowed to feel. The consequences were parents that did not know how to express their love towards us and could not comprehend the importance of mental health.
Being vulnerable paves the way for us to understand the beauty of human emotion. Vulnerability opens our minds because it allows us to feel passion, joy, and sadness (y mucho mas). It will enable us to show the world who we truly are and to communicate our needs. It makes us stronger because it allows us to deal with our emotions instead of pushing them away. We develop into more open and sincere individuals. Being vulnerable can strengthen our relationship with our children and create a harmonious environment where we can help and understand each other.
Amigas, it is now our time to break these generational traumas and tear down all the walls we have built around us for centuries by allowing ourselves to feel.