Latino Parents Are Notoriously Late to Everything Except When It Comes to These Events

Latino parents are notorious for always being late to pretty much everything. They run on POC time, never really worried about when they’ll get anywhere. They’re honestly not even ashamed at the fact that they wouldn’t be able to properly function in this world if they were actually on time to events.

However, there are very few, very specific things Latino parents are never late for and the fact that they’re on time for only a select few things must mean they are either very important… or there’s food involved. Like…

The airport.

Dads especially are always on time to any and every flight going anywhere. Mainly based on a concern for money going to waste if we miss a flight. Yes, showing up to a flight at least three hours early is *mandatory* — no one en la casa will care that you have TSA PreCheck.

Anything is better than missing a flight. That includes lounging around the airport for two hours, buying overpriced water and limited, if any, airport snacks — because they’re too expensive and mom brought her own snacks in a ziplock bag.

La santa misa.

¿Qué pensará el padre si llegamos tarde?

Going to misa is perhaps one of the most important appointments of the week that you cannot. be. late. to. Let’s be real, the concern for being late to church is more about being worried the priest will call you out for showing up late, than it is about actually missing the lecture.

If you’re ever late and get stuck outside because they locked the entrance doors, just know you’ll have to sit outside in the hot sun and you’re 100% going to hear it from mom later.

Tuning into a novela.

Whether it’s La Rosa de Guadalupe, Rebelde, or a more “señora” novela, señoras will likely never be late to watch their favorite galanes on screen. Doesn’t matter if you have anything else going on or if the house isn’t clean, this is the only time you can get away with murder because mom won’t be paying attention. Advisory: just because you’re watching the novela too doesn’t mean you’re exempt from washing the dishes when mom notices after the show is over.

Chisme!

To chismear is to not only catch up on the family drama, it’s a conversation that has no end, can go on for hours, and more often than not, is the main reason Latino parents late to everything else.

Aside from those things, we’re likely late to everything else. For example:

Weddings & quinceañeras.

If it’s a wedding or a quinceañera, we’re late to the church ceremony, if we go at all. And especially show up late to the party at the salon… with hopes there will still be food when we get there.

Any appointments to anything.

From a doctor’s appointment to a scheduled event at work or meet-up with a friend, there’s always an unspoken rule of a 20-minute grace period, so you’re basically free to say you couldn’t find parking for 15 minutes. 

Any activity that involves kids and schools.

Pretty sure all the kids who waited for their parents to pick them up from elementary school had to wait because they were either busy cleaning, watching a novela or couldn’t get out of work on time. Regardless, Latinx kids are always the last to get picked up.

This is to say: we’re late to everything. After all, the party doesn’t really start until we get there.