Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yesenia Almonte and I’m a first generation American, born and raised in New York City — a city that I love .
Like pretty much every other parent, I wake up with the same mommy goal every day: to raise good and productive human beings. It sounds simple enough, but boy is it tough. I’m trying to figure out the whole parenting thing as I go along, and every single day, without fail, I question my parenting skills. I’m continually asking myself whether I am doing the right thing by my husband and two little buddies, Hudson, 3, and Crosby 10 months old. I call my own mother every day to get her advice on things; advice that doesn’t always align with my own views, but my parenting will always stem from the cultural influences passed down by my parents, two Dominican immigrants. One thing I do know is that I want my children to aspire to all that is good — and this is the idealist and eternal optimist in me — when you are surrounded by good, you want to do good. As cliché as it is, I really do want my kids to grow up in a better world. But the realist in me knows that the world isn’t always safe, pretty or perfect, so I’m teaching them to be tough, too! So, this is me: I’ve failed. I’ve succeeded. I’ve made some mommy mistakes and will continue to make some more — just hopefully not the same ones! I’ll share my journey with you along the way, right here in this paper and online at metro.us every two weeks. And I of course want to hear from you, too! What’s your daily mommy goal? Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram : @yeseniaalmone .
What parenting goal did you wake up with today?
