Celebrating mothers on Father’s Day
by Adriana Villavicencio
Father’s Day. For some, the holiday is about celebrating dad with a tie and a well-cooked pernil. For some of us, though, Father’s Day can be a painful reminder that our fathers aren’t here – sometimes by his choosing, sometimes not. In either case, the week of weepy commercials featuring picture perfect fathers and stores stocked with cards about the best dads on earth can make someone without a father around want to hide until the third Monday of June.
But perhaps we should expand our notion of Father’s Day to include those who have been likefathers. Those who will not ever replace them, but who have contributed to our lives in the special ways that fathers do.
Often, these people are our very own moms. Twenty five percent of Hispanic children are raised by single mothers who must serve, out of necessity, as mother and father (and everything else) to their children. That’s why on Father’s Day, I celebrate my mom. I am thankful to my dad for giving me life, my proclivity to dance all night, and my penchant for clothes with flair and fancy shoes. But on Father’s Day, I celebrate my mother for all the gifts she gave and lessons she passed on.
Querida madrecita,
You may not have taught me how to kick a ball around, but you taught me how to roll with the
