Salvadoreña Forever: What It Means to Raise My Kids With Their Roots

I was born in Los Angeles to Salvadoran parents. I grew up eating pupusas on Sundays, speaking Spanglish without thinking twice, and understanding that our culture was something to be carried — not left behind.

Moving to the Inland Empire when I was 16 didn’t change that. Neither did marrying Steven. Neither did becoming a mom. If anything, becoming a mom made it more important.

I think about this a lot.

What does it mean to raise three mixed kids in Southern California and make sure they know where half of them comes from? What does it mean to be Salvadoran in a world that sometimes lumps all Latinos together and calls it a day?

It means being intentional. It means making the pupusas even when it would be easier to order pizza. It means playing cumbia in the kitchen. It means teaching Mason the word for airplane in Spanish before he even knows what an airplane is. It means telling Madison and Maya that their abuela’s story — immigrating to this country with nothing and building everything — is one of the greatest stories they’ll ever have the privilege of carrying.

Our culture shows up in small ways every day.

It’s in the food. Always the food. Pupusas, arroz con leche, horchata on a hot day. It’s in the music we play on road trips. It’s in the way I say “mija” without thinking about it. It’s in the way my kids already know that familia is everything — not just the people in this house but the whole extended beautiful loud wonderful network of people who love us.

It’s in the flag emoji I put in every Instagram bio. 🇸🇻

I want my kids to grow up proud.

Not in an aggressive way. In a quiet, confident, deep way. The kind of pride that doesn’t need to announce itself because it’s just woven into who you are.

Madison is almost 11 and she already knows she’s a Latina girl who can do anything. Maya is 9 and she wears it like a crown. Mason is 3 and he has no idea yet — but he will. I’m going to make sure of it.

This little corner of my blog is for that. The Latina life. The SoCal upbringing. The culture, the food, the traditions, the stories. The things I never want my kids to forget and the things I never want to stop sharing with you.

Bienvenidos a Latina Cultura. 🇸🇻🩷

Con amor, Maggie ✈️