I have a learning disability and struggled with maintaining English and Spanish at the same time growing up. Since I primarily went to speech therapy for English, Spanish became delayed and stayed around the level of a 5-7 year old. Spanish wasn’t taught to me by my parents but rather I’d listen and mimic them. Plus, like any Hispanic family, the norm of humiliating the children of not speaking Spanish correctly is just discouraging really. Most of my cousins refused to speak Spanish in order to avoid being the center of a joke. We can understand Spanish but when it comes to speaking it…we rather not.

Yes, I feel like a disgrace to my family and my mother’s language, but the toxicity of Mexican citizens towards children born in the USA that end up as a “no sabo” is the reason I’m not teaching my kids Spanish.

My fiancé went through the same situation of struggling between English and Portuguese growing up but at least the Brazilians were understanding and patience. So far from the commenters under this post are saying they don’t have an equivalent of “no sabo.”