A Cuban mother residing in the United States posted a video on TikTok yesterday in which she outlines, unfiltered, the parenting practices she applies with her young child, regardless of the criticism from other mothers on social media.
Cindi (@cindimartin325), who identifies as a Cuban teacher without immigration papers and has been in the country for four years, shared a nearly three-minute video in which she discusses six topics that she considers "controversial" within Latina motherhood circles on that platform.
"These are the things that don't matter to me as a mom, based on my experiences and the characteristics of my child. I'm not criticizing anyone's methods; I'm simply explaining," she clarifies at the beginning of the video.
The first of these topics is the use of screens from a very young age, in contrast to the "no screens" trend that is circulating among mothers on TikTok.
"To the one who manages to raise their child with zero screen time, congratulations. I didn't achieve that, and that's okay, it's respectable," says Cindi, who acknowledges having given her son the phone so she could take a shower, as a practical solution for a working mother.
She also argues that her son should consume sugar, candies, chocolate, ice cream, and soda when she deems it appropriate, stating that she was raised that way and has no health issues.
One of the most debated points is that she sends her son to Cuba alone, without her, because she cannot travel as she does not have papers.
“I am a teacher, I don’t have papers, I have been in this country for four years, and I have not felt a greater satisfaction since being here than seeing my family able to see my son,” he explains.
Her son has already taken a trip to the island without her, and she plans to send him again with trusted relatives.
Regarding the conditions in Cuba, including the blackouts, Cindi is straightforward: "This is how all children live in Cuba, and no one has died. They are raised to be more humble than those raised in this country."
His goal, he says, is for his son to grow up grateful: "When my son grows up, I want him to be humble and compare the situation between the two places and be thankful for the life he has in this country."
Cindi also advocates for sending her child to daycare starting at 18 months, a decision she describes as "the best one she could have made" because it allows her to work and maintain her independence.
It also allows trusted individuals to discipline their child when they misbehave, without intervening, because they want to raise them with clear boundaries: "I want to raise a child who knows the difference between what they did right and what they did wrong."
And on Saturdays, she simply doesn't cook: she gets McDonald's, KFC, or pizza, arguing that for the rest of the week the child eats rice and beans, and that she needs a break too.
Cindi's video fits into a well-established trend of Cuban mothers and fathers in the U.S. debating their bicultural parenting on TikTok, confronting the standards of "perfect" motherhood with the everyday reality of working immigrant families.
Other creators have generated similar content: from a Cuban in Tampa teaching his son the value of money through real work, to a Cuban father training his baby not to be a fragile child, including those who criticize that Cuban parents substitute love with gifts and technology.
In that same debate, a Cuban in the U.S. summarized the dilemma of sending children to the island with a phrase that went viral: "In Cuba there is no light, but there are hands waiting for them."
Cindi's video garnered 193 likes and 56 comments, with reactions split between those who identify with her pragmatic approach and those who question some of her decisions.
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