The other day, I was working with another manager I haven't worked with much before (reason being, I've been moved to a different store to help get rid of the riff-raff there; said manager included). We started telling each other about ourselves and got to talking about what we do in our free time and whatnot and so I mentioned my daughter, my husband, his job, my dog, that I've written a book, that we have a house in the suburbs, etc. She asked me about my accent and I said it's Tex-Mex and she proclaimed, "Oh my God, you guys seem like such an all-American family!"
My first reaction was to beam. We're a Mexican-American family. Mexican-Americans are hardly considered all-American. We grew up in a strictly Mexican part of our hometown (the ghetto, if you will); my grandparents are from Mexico; his parents are from Mexico; his first language was Spanish.
On one hand, being seen as "all-American" by a white girl makes me think my tiny immediate family is fighting racial stereotypes and challenging people's perceptions of Mexican-Americans.
On the other hand, it has made me think of the last time we visited San Antonio, when my brother-in-law said, while we were sitting around drinking, that my husband and I seemed somehow less Mexican now. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but he felt strongly about his statement nonetheless and it turned into a huge fight.
So I don't know how to feel about being called an "all-American family". Am I supposed to be proud that we're actually being seen as normal Americans instead of "ew, Mexicans", or should I feel worried that being so far away from our families might unconsciously be making us lose touch with our heritage?