From Cardi B to TikTok Creators, Latina Moms Are Sending Kids to the Homeland Each Summer to Keep Traditions Alive
This summer, Latina moms are sparking conversations online about how to keep culture alive for the next generation. From Cardi B to TikTok creators like Jeannette Reyes, parents are sharing what it means to send their kids back to their family’s homeland for weeks at a time. For many, it’s not about vacation. It’s about giving their children a living connection to language, culture, and extended family.
Jeannette Reyes says travel is about living culture, not just speaking it
News anchor and TikTok creator Jeannette Reyes shared that she enrolled her daughter in a Spanish immersion program and speaks Spanish to her at home. But when she took her to summer camp in the Dominican Republic, she realized the experience was about more than language.
“My late father once said that he never imagined his grandkids wouldn’t be able to speak his language, and that stuck with me,” Reyes said.
She explained that heritage goes deeper than vocabulary. “It’s mango juice dripping down your arm while you wait for the power to come back on,” Reyes said. She described “the pouring rain in the middle of the afternoon, while that chat plays in the background.”
“It’s not just something you speak,” she said. “It’s something you live.”
Her summer series on TikTok is her way of “passing something down.”
Cardi B hopes her kids will embrace her roots
Cardi B also shared that her children are spending part of the summer in her family’s homeland with her father. She admitted she misses them, but believes the trip is important.
“They’re not going to the city. You’re going to a small village-like country with only 400 people. Fucking cows and chickens and shit in their backyard and full of mosquitoes,” she said in a TikTok.
She added that she had the same experience growing up. “I used to hate it for a week, and then I started getting used to it, and I started to like it. So I hope my kids like it, and you know, I know this is gonna be an experience they’re gonna always remember.”
Why Latina moms see travel as a cultural investment
TikTok creator @listentobrianna praised moms like Cardi B who prioritize sending their kids back home. “I have such respect and admiration for parents who, it’s like, it’s, it’s a priority for them,” she said.
Writers have echoed the importance of these trips. Lindsey Chronert wrote for The Miho Experience that traveling to a homeland is “a gift of identity, belonging, and pride in where I come from.” Diana Limongi also explained on LadyDeeLg that traveling to heritage countries lets kids practice language, learn customs, try traditional foods, and bond with extended family.
Meanwhile, Recordable Book Buddy reported that connecting with extended relatives strengthens a child’s sense of identity and social skills while passing down family values.
Travel as a way for Latina moms to pass traditions forward
These stories point to the same thing: sending kids back “home” keeps traditions alive. Whether it’s Cardi B’s children adjusting to campo life or Jeannette Reyes’ daughter learning Spanish rhythms through camp, the lesson is clear. For Latina moms, travel isn’t a luxury. It’s a legacy.
