Is Raising a Child Experiencing Life With Them, Or Sending Money?

Enrique’s mother left her family so that she could provide for her children. This was hard for her children to understand because they were young when she left. During the novel, it is often discussed whether or not it is worth losing the love of a mother in order to live a better life without one. Lourdes seems to think that sending money is equivalent to raising a child. She says, “I sent money. I supported you. That is raising you!” (Nazario 195). However, Enrique seems to disagree. He thinks that a true mother raises her children. He then explains, “My mother is my grandmother Maria” (198). Enrique thinks of his grandmother as his mother because she has been with him his whole childhood, while his mother has not.

              It is discussed in the novel that many mothers who leave their children feel an immense amount of guilt, and wonder if they made the right decision by coming to the United States. This seems like an incredibly difficult decision to make, and I honestly have no idea what I would do if I were in that situation. I think that if the mother does leave for the United States, most do it for the love of their child. However, often it is hard for the children to understand this. Enrique often resents his mother for abandoning him in Honduras, even though she provided a much better life for him than she could of if she were in Honduras. When I traveled to Honduras this summer, I went to a girl’s orphanage. Many of the girls had been abandoned by their parents. These girls were happy at the home, and it was a better life than their parents could have provided them. Although, these girls do not get the personal love that a mother gives their child, and these girls long for the love of a mother. Do you agree with Lourdes and think that sending money is equal to raising a child? Or do you agree with Enrique and believe that a mother must be there in order to raise her child properly?