On Raising a Daughter in America as a Latino Dad, with Super Papa Sergio Rosario Diaz
On Raising a Daughter in America as a Latino Dad, with Super Papa Sergio Rosario Diaz
Dadditude Newsletter #6
In 2016, Sergio Rosario Diaz founded Soy Super Papá, an online community for Spanish speaking dads. Today it’s one of the biggest fatherhood communities on FB with 110,000 members from over 20 countries.
We spoke with him recently about his life as an ex-stay at home dad, his work on his communities and what it’s like to raise his little girl in America today.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, I am the father of a girl, Stella, also a military spouse to a US Army Officer. Currently I work two part time jobs as a Head of Social Media and Business Development Management for the Virtual Reality Department of an Engineering Firm. Not to leave behind, I have been a Professional Musician for over 15 years and played and toured with Grammy Winning Artists.
How old is your child?
My daughter Stella, 4 years old, is a bilingual fun and very loving girl. The way we have raised her was pretty much how my wife and I grew up on the island. It was one of our biggest concerns, how can we give her the same experience growing up that we had in Puerto Rico. Living in the US, language, culture, food are all the things we can give her here, but traveling to Puerto Rico several times a year is important so she can experience life there. Stella is very talkative and asks a lot of questions. She loves Paw Patrol, Flowers and animals.
How do you manage to mix work and family?
For the first three years of my daughter's life, I was a stay at home dad, so I was completely dedicated to her and supporting Mom's job and position in the army. Being a stay at home father allowed me to travel for the first two years with my wife to all the places she had to work from. This meant getting to explore the whole US, South America and Europe. Traveling for us is a big therapy, and it adds to the goal of raising her to be a citizen of the world.
What do you think is your biggest strength as a parent?
I think my biggest strength as a parent is having the flexibility to play any role at home and in my daughter's life. The ability to speak to my daughter about everyday life and teach her valuable lessons is my biggest strength.
What stresses you out the most these days as a parent?
What stresses me the most as a parent these days is the social injustice we are facing in America today, how divided we are, the conversations we have to have with our children as minorities and what we have to prepare them for, which shouldn't be and is not normal.
What side of parenthood do you wish you had invested more time and energy in the past?
Sometimes we put a lot of weight on our shoulders thinking about what we could've done, the reality is we are humans, we feel, we get tired, we laugh and we cry. Every day is a new opportunity to become a Super Papa. I wish I had founded my organization Soy Super Papá earlier. It is an online Fatherhood Community founded in 2016 for Spanish speaking fathers. Our page grew significantly to over 110k and our fathers only community is over 63k. One of the goals is to run a self-sufficient community with lots of participants from all over the world (currently over 20 countries). We also have a Podcast where we tell the stories of fathers and allies to the Fatherhood community.
Can you tell us about an especially favorite/special moment with your kids recently?
Recently, with the spring starting, we were playing in the garden and a frog started leaping towards the front door. Stella was so worried about the frog being out of its habitat; I took the opportunity to talk to her about amphibians, we made a video and sent it back home to our family and then we put the frog back in a pond next to our house. It's those little moments that matter the most. For me, it is a pleasure being the father to such an amazing human being.
Thank you Sergio!
Our Dadditude App is Out!
Our new self-care app for dads is out. Inside: tips from parenting professionals and quotes from well-known dads, focused around weekly themes.
iOS app out now, and Android next week.
This is only the beginning! Over the next few months we'll be adding lots of new features and content to the app. Join us for the ride!
Whether you are an expecting dad, a newborn dad or an experienced one, Dadditude gives you a path to be more reflective, confident, and productive in family life. Take 2 minutes for self-care every couple of days to work on your confidence and growth.
You might also enjoy:
How to Celebrate the Spring Holidays Safely With Your Family
Overcoming American Masculinity to Build a Deep Male Friendship
Research Recap: Positive Impacts of Parental Benefits on Couple Relationships
Thanks for reading !
👇 Heart if you enjoyed this release!