Here Are 20 Things That Will Make A Latino Dad Cry Every Time
Like a lot of Latino dads, mine always kept a tough exterior. He was raised to be impenetrable, just as his father had been raised and so on. But that doesn’t mean he never shed a few tears.
There’s something about seeing your dad cry that simultaneously breaks your heart and freaks you out, and in some cases makes you laugh. Here are 20 things that bring a tough dad to tears, without fail.
1. Mariachi music
It’s over the second the strings start on “Amor Eterno,” also known as the most beautiful and heartbreaking song ever invented. It causes immediate weeping into a bottle of Pacífico.
2. Seeing his baby or grandbaby for the first time
Nothing like a tiny angelic baby made of his own blood to reduce a grown man to tears.
3. His fútbol team losing
Yup. The second the goal-winning score went to the other team it was the 7 stages of grief. “Noooo! No puede ser!” inevitably leads to light sobbing ,and then “estos cabrones siempre te dejan decepcionados.”
4. His fútbol team winning
Tears happen in agony and ecstasy. And seeing his beloved team win a major match always brings on the happy tears. It’s pretty cute.
5. A particularly heartfelt round of saying what you’re thankful for during Thanksgiving dinner
The second the words “I’m thankful for my children and wife” come out of him, bye. Gone. Olvídalo. He loses it, and it’s really sweet because it shows his tender side.
6. His baby graduating
This. Right. Here. Seeing your dad sob almost uncontrollably just because he’s so happy for you is the greatest, most freakiest thing ever. Everyone is gonna be crying. You accomplished something major that will bring you opportunities that maybe he didn’t have. He’s proud and he’s not afraid to show it.
7. Your Mom
Whether he loves her or hates her, or even a little bit of both, the passion is there and he’ll cry angry tears, sad tears and/or happy tears when he gets started on her. Your mom has a lot of power of his tear ducts. And yeah, tequila is usually involved.
8. His mom
It doesn’t matter how old he is. Latino dads are always and forever a mama’s boy, and your abuelita, whether she is alive or passed, will always set him crying. He may be remembering her, or perhaps he’s disappointed her in some way. Whatever the case, abuelita and your mom can make a dad cry real quick.
9. His dad.
Whether they have a close bond or have a very strained relationship, his dad has a way of reducing your tough papi into the little boy he once was. Something about a grandfather’s words has a way of cutting into your dad deep.
10. His parents showing you love.
Sometimes parents raise their kids in a way that feels cold and too harsh. It can be a pretty old school way of raising kids, to not say I love you, show physical affection, or spend quality time. So when your dad sees his parents give you, the grandbaby, lots of love and hugs it has a way of making him cry with both happiness and sadness.
11. Tequila
Tequila brings out all the feelings. All of them. Any alcohol really. Alcohol gets all the dads weeping over something. That something can be any of the above, or something totally different. But the song “Tragos de Amargo Licor” was created for a reason, and that reason is because dads cry when they’re drunk.
12. During a speech
Good luck trying to get a few sweet words outta that guy without his voice starting to warble or full on tears coming out. It doesn’t matter the occasion. When he raises a glass, it’s countdown to tears o’clock.
13. Making his little girl’s dream come true
When a dad works hard, maybe a multiple jobs, just to support his family, so when you land that great job or get into your dream school it will reach him all the way in the heart,
14. The Notebook
No one – NO ONE – can make it through this stupid tearjerker of a movie without shedding a tear. I’ve seen the most badass of tios fall to pieces seeing Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams fall in love, and then their older counterparts pass away.
15. A particularly thoughtful gift
You work hard, and have had opportunities to do well in life because of all the hard work and sacrifices your parents gave you. So when you’re finally able to spoil them and give them a sweet present, dad isn’t going to make it. He’s gonna fall apart, in the best way possible.
16. Seeing you all dressed up for something special
Whether it’s your wedding day, a school dance, or another special occasion, seeing you in your beautiful dress, hair and makeup it reminds him that his little girl is growing up. And that will cause a few tears.
17. Buying you the thing you didn’t think he could afford
Your mami and papi’s hard work didn’t always mean a house full of luxuries. They had to support their family, which means nice extras might not be easy to come by. But when he knows how much it means to you, dad (and mami too, of course!) will somehow make it happen. And seeing the joy in your face will drive him to tears.
18. When you get married
Oh girl, it is over. Walking you done the aisle and doing the father/daughter dance will leave him wrecked.
19. Seeing you suffer
Our dads want to protect us from everything, so when things go wrong in our lives, whether we’ve been hurt, get really sick, or something else bad happens, they feel like they’ve failed you. Even though it’s not their fault. But that will make a daddy hurt for his baby.
20. Coco
It isn’t just “The Notebook” that’ll do it. “Coco” makes us all a weepy mess, and that includes out dads who might relate to the story in some way. “Coco” will make us all lose it, but seeing your dad cry too especially strikes a chord.
Whatever the reason, seeing your dad cry is something you never forget. Latino dads catch the feels hard, and luckily you’re there to give him a hug when he needs it.
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