Día del Padre
Father's Day in an Orphanage
Happy Father’s Day to all those taking a father’s role in a child’s life! Whether you’re a biological father, an adoptive father, or even a mentor, this day is to celebrate you. So thank you all for all you do. The world needs more of you.
(Note: I’m going to talk a bit about gender roles in southern Mexico, but please note that I have been here a pretty short time, so there may be a lot I’m missing. Please do not take my word as law on this. Also, if you have lived in Mexico or grew up with a Mexican family, please feel free to correct me—I am eager to learn!)
Unlike my Mother’s Day post a month ago, I have less to say about the cultural role of fathers in Mexico. Father’s Day here looks very similar to Father’s Day in the US, and the roles look similar also… Give or take a decade.
Though Mexico is very far from being as oppressive with gender roles as some cultures out there, it is more conservative with its gender-related values than the US. (Or at least, Chiapas is much more conservative than Washington, since I know you’ll be able to find exceptions to the generalizations if you look for them.) This is very evident in the heat of Pride Month, where I have seen literally nothing of Pride, even in San Cristóbal. But that’s a topic I covered in last week’s post here.
LGBT in Chiapas, Mexico
What’s happening for Pride Month here in Chiapas? Not much, really. Coming from Bellingham, a college town swelling with LGBT pride, Chiapas is a stark contrast. The culture is quite conservative here. In fact, “gay” is considered a vulgar term to even use. Gay people here instead refer to themselves as homosexuals, which would be offensive in the US. (…
A father’s role here is basically the same as the traditional role in the US, just without as much cultural push-back. The father is the provider, the protector, and the head of the household. If I had to point out a difference, I might say that they’re very clear that this is not meant to downplay the role of the mother. Even though the father is the head, the mother almost represents holiness in the family. I go more into that in my Mother’s Day post here.
Día de las Madres
Okay, you all know what Mother’s Day is, so I’m not going to waste words on that. But what I am going to do in this post is explain the implications of Mother’s Day here in Mexico to orphaned children. If you haven’t been exposed to the cultural differences, some of this may surprise you.
Perhaps I’ll go more into the differences between gender roles in a later post, but as far as parenting goes, the mother is largely the spiritual role model holding the family together, while the father is the one that leads by example around and outside the home. From what I’ve seen, the mother is more revered, but the father is more followed. He is the children’s first guide in life.
What about those without fathers?
There’s a void there. Who are they to follow? Whose example do they look to? Especially for young boys, like the ones we care for, not having a father is often seen as being lost with no one to guide them. Actually, I think that’s why the community around us heaps praise on us caretakers—our role is seen as filling a gaping hole. In reality, only God can fill that hole, but I am happy to help in the small ways I can.