My Parents’ Nicknames Were Never for Us

I thought it was a tactical move—my parents calling each other Mami and Papi so we kids wouldn’t get confused. A linguistic hack. Then a coworker hit me with the truth: It’s a couple thing. Like ‘baby.’ Cue the mental rewind. Every “Ay, Papi” over dinner. Every “Mami, pass the salt” with a grin. Not parental shorthand. Flirting. For decades. My sister knew. My brother, bless him, was just as clueless. Dad later admitted it started for us… but definitely didn’t end that way. Now I eat breakfast side-eyeing their coffee-sharing, wondering what else I missed. TL;DR: My childhood was a telenovela set. I just didn’t have the subtitles. #LatinoProblems #AwkwardRevelations #FamilySecrets