Family Nopal

My kids have only been American Citizens for 21 months. We brought them from Mexico to this country, dressed on the day we landed in LAX in red, white and blue.

I’ve never been a real patriotic type gal. I’m more the marching in the streets to change things kinda gal than a flag waver. But as we handed U.S. Customs our kids’ immigration paperwork and crossed into the U.S. I could have waved a hundred flags. They were legit citizens and we were a real family. And tonight I find myself explaining a ton of American history as we watch the Democratic National Convention.

While watching Bill Clinton speak, we have to explain why everyone loves him so much. How he was the first president mommy ever voted for and how he passed the family leave medical act, which made it possible for mommy and daddy to take off time and adopt our kids.

We listen to Bill talk about how he met Hillary. All the things she has done for children, for the world. Alan says “she did a lot. Without all the things she did the world wouldn’t be as good.” Yep, no prompting from mom, he drew that conclusion on his own. Good speech Bill.

Next night, we point out, “that’s Jesse Jackson.” He used to march with Dr. King. “Who’s Dr. King?” Griselda asks. “remember when we talked about the holiday, remember we watched the video about him?” And Griselda thinks for a minute “oh yeah , the bus, the lady on the bus that wanted to sit down.”

Then we watch Joe Biden. Edgar and I laugh and swoon at how much we love Biden. How he’s a loose cannon. How that’s what makes him cool. The kids wonder at it. “He cared a lot about passing laws to take care of women” mommy says, he did a lot. Thanks Joe.

Next, we watch a video about Obama. And we have to keep pausing it “what’s the financial market?” Alan asks. “What’s that house, what are they looking for?” Griselda asks as they show a photo of the house where Osama Bin Laden was hiding. “Is that Hillary in the picture, rewind dad” Alan says. “Why is the president crying?” they ask as we watch Obama talk about the Newton shooting. “why is he singing? “ Amazing Grace. “Why are you crying mommy and daddy” they ask. Same-sex marriage signed into law. “Why are those ladies jumping around mommy?”

So in that short video, I have to explain 9/11, shootings that killed children in an elementary school, a shooting at a black church, same-sex marriage being signed into law and then Wall Street! It’s so much, and they want to understand it all. And I want to tell them all about it.

As hard as so much of it is to talk about, I want them to know that America is strong. It’s strong and great because of all the shit we’ve been through. Just like they are strong from all the shit they’ve been through. I’m not happy to tell them that other human beings flew planes into a building and killed thousands. I get no satisfaction in telling my kids that people can get guns and shoot up children, LGBT folks and churches because our gun laws are a joke. And Wall Street, well… it’s complicated.

But like Barack said, America already is great. As cynical as I like to be about life and the world on any given day, I would not have adopted my two kids from Mexico and brought them here if I hadn’t thought this country would give them a better chance. To be themselves and the best expression of whatever that may be.

A country that is not perfect, yet so perfect in that imperfection we fight to preserve. Sure we fight. We agitate. We don’t agree. We love. Sadly we hate. We create beautiful art, music and inventions. And we f’ up a lot. But goddammit, the fact that I can say all this is why it’s a good country. And as I often tell my son “anyone that tries to take that away from us, being ourselves, whatever that is, that’s not American.”

Lastly, we watch Hillary.

Edgar and I cry as she walks out. Godammit, I think, she did it. Alan watches the entire speech. Griselda falls asleep. Alan turns to me at one point and says “this is the best talk ever.” He’s so curious about it all and he’s listening to the first woman ever nominated by a major party to be president.   And he will grow up thinking this is normal.

To quote the first president my children would ever know, “The American Dream is something no wall will ever contain.” Thanks Barack. And to quote the first president they will ever see elected “When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.” Thanks Hillary. That’s what I want for my kids. And we are down to fight for it together.