Social Essays

Luis is the stay-at-home dad while Alisa earns the main salary to support their family. Their family would not function in the smooth way that it does without their choreographed teamwork: Alisa working hard at her job while Luis holds things together at home and at school as well as working part-time himself. Their decision to add another child to the family was something they considered very carefully, not only because of the additional costs of raising another child but also because of the additional burden on Luis as the primary caregiver. All the work is shared between them in a delicate balance that relies on each of their strengths, and they love their family life even though there are days where they both collapse in exhaustion and wonder how they will do it all again the next day. The kids are the main focus in their lives, though they still find time occasionally to have friends over and play music or games, or just hang out and talk about how to deal with the kids.

Luis is a great cook and enjoys cooking for the family. Coming over for dinner at their house is likely to be a treat of Puerto Rican food and lots of laughter. Finances are always tight and Alisa strains to balance their budget while still finding ways to let the kids have piano lessons, ride horses and host parties where they can invite all their friends over for an end of summer pool party that gets rained out. (The kids had a good time anyway, throwing water balloons at Luis in the rain.)