As human beings, it is our nature to constantly evolve and learn. As infants, we learn how to walk, communicate, and interact with the environment around us. Our parents play a crucial role in our upbringing as they are the ones that guide and nurture us throughout our early years. That being said, being born into a familia Latina means a lifetime of discipline, opinions, and expectations.
These societal norms can quickly become unrealistic because they do not consider how times have changed. We now have access to a myriad of social platforms which have exposed us to people from all different backgrounds and schools of thought, further opening up our minds. As we continue to grow as individuals, we are faced with what we now consider unrealistic expectations placed upon us by society. Successfully breaking through these barriers should be celebrated because you have overcome these beliefs that are not reasonable.
As we grow older, we continue to be exposed to a wide variety of visual and intellectual stimuli that ultimately influence our mindset. Growing up, I remember my mom and aunts always telling me that women’s primary responsibility was to cook, clean, do laundry, and take care of the children. Even if you were not working, you were expected to wake up way before your spouse and make breakfast and pack all lunches (and it couldn’t be something simple like a sandwich).
This may sound reasonable in some instances, but this perspective is based on your spouse being the only individual that works. Nowadays, the cost of living has increased to such an extreme that women must work full time as well. It is unrealistic to expect women to maintain the entire household alone while working a 9-5. Straying from this expectation and fighting against this machismo is a win because we all deserve to distribute responsibilities equally and fairly.
Unrealistic expectations can cause stress and become a burden on your mental health. Being unable to live up to these standards by society causes you to feel inferior because you are straying from the norm. This hyper fixation on perfectionism is only damaging to one’s self-identity. Having the strength to break through these walls is the beginning of your journey to stop generational trauma, and all toxic behaviors imposed upon us. We will pave the way for our children to have the liberty to express themselves and set them up for success in the future.