When I first connected with Cynthia Contreras, it was through a call about the possibility of her moving to Mexico. But somewhere in that conversation, I realized there was a much bigger story I needed to share with you all. Cynthia is a Mexican American wife, mom, and educator – nine years in the classroom, now working as a reading specialist – and her journey with language, identity, and motherhood is one that so many of us in this community will recognize in our bones.
From Assimilation to Reclamation
Cynthia grew up in Wisconsin, the only Latina in her classroom, desperately wanting to fit in. She pushed her Spanish to the side, focused on English, and tried to blend into American culture as seamlessly as possible. Sound familiar? For so many of us who grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s, this was survival. But Cynthia’s story doesn’t end there.
It wasn’t until college that something shifted. Majoring in Spanish, surrounded by professors from Chile, Argentina, and Spain, she started reconnecting with a part of herself she had buried. She realized she had never read a book in Spanish. She’d never written an essay in her mother tongue. And she was about to become a bilingual teacher. So she did the work, and it changed everything.
The Decision to Raise a Spanish-Dominant Home
When Cynthia and her husband had their son, they made a deliberate choice: Spanish first, always, at home. Both are educated professionals fluent in English, which Cynthia is quick to point out, commits even harder. English is everywhere. It takes real effort and intentionality to hold the line.
But they’ve done it. Her son speaks fluent Spanish, is learning to read in both languages, and is proud to call himself Mexican. There’s a beautiful story she shared about her son at the grocery store, around age four, nodding along confidently to a stranger’s English questions even though he had no idea what was being said. He was faking it, and somehow, that innocence, that total lack of embarrassment about the language, is exactly what she and her husband are working to protect.
It Starts With You, Mama
One of the most powerful things Cynthia said in our conversation was this: if you want your child to feel proud of the language, you have to do your own inner work first. A lot of the hesitation parents feel around raising bilingual kids isn’t really about the kids at all. It’s about old wounds, being laughed at for an accent, feeling caught between two worlds, carrying the shame of being called a “no sabo kid.”
Her advice? Trace it back. Find the root of the resistance. And then, just like you’d commit to getting healthier or learning anything new, be willing to put in the work. Take a Spanish class. Read books in Spanish. Listen to podcasts en español. You can get better at any age; she’s living proof. The language thrives when you use it and suffers when you don’t. That’s true for all of us.
What Nine Years in the Classroom Taught Her
As an educator, Cynthia has watched the connection between a parent’s mindset and a child’s academic performance play out over and over again. She’s seen parents deny bilingual services for their own children because of unresolved shame around the language. She’s taught parents the ABCs alongside their kids — not just the song, but the sounds, the vowels, the building blocks of literacy that apply in any language.
Her message to parents who feel unqualified to support their child’s learning? You don’t have to be an expert. Let your child be your teacher. Ask them what they learned today. Be open to learning alongside them. And if your school has open classroom events – show up.
The Weight of the Middle
At some point in our conversation, Cynthia said something that stopped me in my tracks. She described our generation as being stuck in the middle, healing the generational trauma we inherited, raising children with intention, building careers, nurturing marriages, and trying not to lose ourselves in the process. It’s a lot. And it’s real.
But she also offered something grounding: you don’t have to do it all at once. Pick what matters most right now. Trust that you’re planting seeds even when you can’t see them growing. And take care of yourself – not just for your kids, but because you are someone beyond being a mom. Because eventually, your children will grow up and leave, and you want to still know who you are when they do.
Redefining Madrehood
I always close my episodes with the same question: how are you redefining Madrehood? Cynthia’s answer was quiet and deep. She’s redefining it by starting with herself. By healing the traumas she carried into adulthood. By using that healing to choose intentionally the values and opportunities she wants to offer her son.
That, to me, is what this podcast is all about. Our journeys aren’t isolated. They’re woven together across generations, across borders, across languages. And when we share them with each other, we remind ourselves that we are never alone in this beautiful, complicated, exhausting, and extraordinary work of motherhood.
Show Notes
In this VLM Spotlight episode, I sit down with Cynthia Contreras, a wife, Latina mom, and bilingual reading specialist. What started as a chat about raising Spanish-dominant kids turned into a beautiful exploration of identity, healing generational trauma, and what it really means to show up for our children while still showing up for ourselves.
Cynthia shares her journey from being the only Latina in her Wisconsin classroom, to becoming a first-gen college graduate, to intentionally building a bilingual home for her 5-year-old son. If you’ve ever felt the pressure of raising kids between two cultures – this episode is for you, mama.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
- How Cynthia went from feeling ashamed of her Spanish to majoring in it in college, and what that identity shift taught her about the power of owning your roots
- Why raising a Spanish-dominant child takes inner work first
- What parents often misunderstand about how children learn to read in two languages, and simple things you can do at home
- The role of travel, cultural immersion, and daily habits in keeping heritage alive
- Navigating the “millennial sandwich”: healing generational trauma, raising bilingual kids, growing professionally, and still keeping your marriage and identity intact
Follow Cynthia on Instagram: @cynthia.ccontreras
About Our Guests and Foundation
Cynthia Contreras
Cynthia Contreras is a wife, Latina mom, and educator who is a first-generation Mexican American. Her own childhood experiences growing up between languages deeply influenced her decision to raise her child bilingual and prioritize Spanish at home.
Drawing from both her lived experience and her work in education, Cynthia advocates for Spanish-dominant homes and helps families see bilingualism as a meaningful gift rooted in culture, identity, and connection.
