Self Acceptance & Parenting Wisdom with Love: Insights from Tía Extraordinaire & Early Childhood Educator

Dear Parents,

I see you.

I see the way your shoulders carry more than groceries—how they hold the weight of your child’s future, your ancestors’ hopes, and your own quiet questions about whether you’re doing this whole parenting thing right.

I want to tell you something my own mother once whispered to me, over the hum of a simmering

pot of caldo:

“You don’t have to know everything. You just have to show up with love, every single day.”

And that, my friend, is more than enough.

As an early childhood educator, and a forever-Tía to a dozen spirited little cousins, I’ve watched how the smallest routines plant the deepest roots. It’s not the big speeches or the Pinterest-perfect crafts that shape our children—it’s the daily rhythm of being present. It’s letting them stir the masa, even when the flour ends up on the cat. It’s eye contact. It’s quiet car rides where you just hum along to the radio together. It’s values passed down in your tone, your touch, your time.

We live in a world that’s loud with opinions. Everyone’s got a “hack,” a shortcut, a shiny new system. But I believe in the old ways, the slow ways—the kind where character is built at the kitchen table and resilience is baked into the routine.

So if your little one is testing boundaries this week, or if bedtime has turned into a standoff with stuffed animals—breathe. Bend, but don’t break. Correct with compassion. Laugh when you can.

And always, always circle back to love.

In my posts here, I’ll be sharing a few of the things that have worked for me and the families I’ve been blessed to know—little tips, ancestral wisdom, and reflections for when you’re standing in the eye of the storm and just need a moment to remember: you’ve got this.

Because raising whole children doesn’t start with perfection.It starts with presence.

Con cariño,

Maribel Reyes

Tía Extraordinaire & Early Childhood Educator