Nothing Screams "I Grew Up With Latino Parents" More Than These 19 Things

When I say "Caso," you say "Cerrado"!

Growing up with Latine parents is a wild ride reinforced by incredible food, unhinged television, and strong family traditions. While everyone's experience may vary slightly, our foundations remain the same.

1. Discovering astrology at a very young age because of Walter Mercado.

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Nobody could read the stars and planets like the late Mercado. He was a household name for a reason.

2. Cookie tins and Country Crock containers hold literally anything besides what you'd expect them to.

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Is it leftovers? Is it salsa? Is it sewing supplies? 

3. Caso Cerrado and Dra. Ana María Polo taught you more about the law than school did.

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There was probably a moment when you wondered if the show was scripted. A few seconds later, you realized it didn't matter.

4. A kitchen isn't complete without some Adobo or sazón in the pantry.

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While they're not the only seasonings that matter, they remain the core of many Hispanic meals. 

5. Vicks VapoRub is the only cure for anything and everything.

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Do you have a headache? Did you catch a cold? Broke your leg? Lost a finger? "Ponte Vicks."

6. Quinceañeras can cost as much as (or more than) a wedding.

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Turning 15 is a big deal, okay?

7. Your mother's favorite form of discipline usually involved a chancla, a correa, or a thinly-veiled death threat.

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"Te calmas, o te calmo!" No one knows what it means, but it's provocative. 

8. If you gain a few pounds, you're "fat." If you lose a few pounds, you're "sick" or "too thin."

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Long story short, you'll never be able to dodge weight comments. You simply learn to ignore them.

9. At least one of these TV shows triggers a core memory: El Chavo del Ocho, Sábado Gigante, Primer Impacto, El Show de Cristina, El Gordo y la Flaca.

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At the very least, we all grew up with Don Francisco.

10. Drinking café con leche at an absurdly young age is normal.

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Is it healthy? Probably not, but it never stopped your aunt from offering you a cup when you were 12.

11. Cooking is basically a love language.

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Nobody throws down in the kitchen like your abuela, but mom certainly tries. 

12. You have an auto mechanic or handyman in the family. If you don't, your dad personally knows one.

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It's cheaper and more reliable than paying a stranger.

13. No religious household is complete without portraits and candles of La Virgen or Jesus.

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There's also a cross hanging somewhere in the house.

14. You have an endless string of extended family members you'll never meet.

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You probably also have "tios," "tias," and "primos" you're not actually related to. 

15. Grocery bags are reused as trash bags.

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There's a spot somewhere in your kitchen dedicated solely to storing extras.

16. Your oven doubles as storage space for random pots and pans.

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Because where else are you supposed to keep them, right?

17. Fabuloso is all you need to clean a home.

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You'd wake up early on weekends to your mom blasting music as she used Fabuloso to mop the floors.

18. People at gatherings are greeted with a cheek kiss.

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Don't even think about shaking hands.

19. And last but not least, chances are you're rarely called by your first name.

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You're probably referred to by a middle name, a nickname, or an insult. You're just as likely to be called "mijo(a)" as you are "pendejo(a)," depending on the vibes.

Is there anything we missed? If so, tell us about it in the comments below!