Parents in many Hispanic households refer to their daughters as “mami,” and sons as “papi.” Since I was a little kid, my mother would call me “mami” to comfort me whenever I was distressed, despite me being a boy. After my great-grandpa emigrated from Puerto Rico, he never taught Spanish to his kids, but still referred to his sons as “papi” and daughters as “mami.” So when my grandma would call my mom “mami” growing up, my mother thought it was a cute term for “child,” and not “daughter.” But I still love it when she says “mami” because it's our only connection to the language her family never taught her. When I hear “mami,” I imagine each of my ancestors as kids when their parents called them “mami” or “papi,” and how special that must have made them all feel. While my great-grandpa didn’t teach his children Spanish so they could assimilate into “American culture,” intergenerational maternal bonds have kept a sliver of the language alive in my family, reminding me to be proud of my heritage. 

– Connor Patton

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more