In her diary entry published in Havana Times, Lien Estrada shares personal reflections on motherhood and fatherhood in Cuba, highlighting economic and social difficulties under the current regime. She describes how the political context has influenced reproductive decisions and the daily struggles of parents. Estrada advocates for parenting to be a blessing rather than a martyrdom.
In her diary entry titled 'Parenting in Cuba: Does it Amount to a Misfortune?', published on December 25, 2024, in Havana Times, Lien Estrada recalls childhood memories where a newborn was celebrated as 'another man for Fidel', illustrating how children belonged to the State in the revolutionary era.
Estrada recounts a discussion at the Evangelical Seminary of Matanzas, where rector Reineiro Arce Valentín told her: 'Lien, the fact that you are not a mother is a way of telling the State that you do not agree with it.' She replied: 'That’s true. I won’t give children to a system like this.' Though she admits she never planned motherhood as a life project, prioritizing personal fulfillment in studies, sports, and work, she understands women's choices to forgo children in Cuba to spare them suffering under the communist regime.
Despite her initial aversion, Estrada feels like a mother to her cats and dog, tending to their health and well-being. However, she emphasizes the overwhelming demands of human parenting in Cuba, where the cost of food, clothing, school supplies, hygiene, and potable water is exorbitant. She questions how parents, especially mothers in a macho society, manage to sustain their children amid such precarious conditions.
She likens Cuba to a filthy, abandoned manger but invokes Jesus and Simone de Beauvoir to assert that biology is not destiny. Estrada concludes by wishing for parenthood to be a 'blessing: the blessing of knowing we carry good news', not a marathon without respite, advocating hope in building a better kingdom now.
