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Nana 2.0

Today's Latina grandmothers, it's safe to say, are a new breed.

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Dear Santa,

I am a nana. But I don't make tortillas. I don't wear my hair in a bun. I can't cook tamales. My Spanglish is lousy. And no matter how hard I try, I can't find it in my heart to wear a bata when I check my mailbox in the morning or call my husband Viejo.

 Not that there's anything wrong with all of that, but I just don't fit the stereotype. It worked for my nana, but it just isn't me.

 In other words, Santa, I think today's nanas are in need of a serious makeover.

 How about it? Can you make it happen? Can you please give us a shiny new reputation for Christmas?

 By the way, could you also offer some advice on 401k planning and throw in a glamour portrait for good measure?

 Nana's ready for her close-up.

 Today's Latina grandmothers, it's safe to say, are a new breed.

 Wile many abuelitas shuffle their lives going back and forth from one kid’s house to the next, and depend economically from the generosity of their families, more and more Latina professional women are becoming grandmothers and their experiences don’t match the stereotypical portrayal readily available in pop culture.

 Many nanas are business tycoons, university professors, art collectors, philanthropists, members of Congress and so much more. Locally, there's Rosa Cantor, President and CEO of Creative Human Resources; her firm was named “Top Minority Owned Business” by Arizona Woman Magazine. Cantor, who drives a Hummer and enjoys spending some down-time in her beach home, is an example of the new Latina Power Nana.

There's also Virginia Cárdenas, with Arizona State’s Hispanic Mother Daughter program, art collector and chair of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Nationally, consider Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard of Los Angeles who has six grandchildren.

 When these post-modern nanas aren't working, they're playing hard. One nana is an avid globetrotter. Another spends her weekends tooling around the Valley in a Mustang convertible – with the top down, of course. More and more, you'll find today's abuelitas taking cruises with their friends, golfing, dancing at post-election parties, or opting to dine out rather than slaving over a home-cooked meal. 

 With schedules like that, who has time to make tortillas? 

 Thank God for Food City! 

"We are as diverse as the rest of the population,” explains Molly De Leon, who works in healthcare and dabbles in personal event planning. “People just can't look at us as the typical stay-at-home grandmother."

Latino Perspectives Magazine tracked down a few Arizona abuelitas and gathered their stories. The tales these women tell are captivating and inspirational. But more importantly, they're blazing the trail and shedding the old stereotypes in the name of new and improved 21st century grandparenthood.