Meet Parents' New Editor-in-Chief Grace Bastidas: 'We Want You To See Yourself in the Stories We Tell'

"You are worthy," a friend and Black mother texted me when I told her I was promoted to Editor-in-Chief of Parents. Her words, maybe because they strayed from the usual "congrats," stayed with me for days and got me thinking about how I had gotten here. The short answer? By embracing my identity. You see, who I am at my core has always been inextricably intertwined with the work that I do.

I am a mom of two girls, ages 7 and 9, a role that motivates me to get up every day and do better. Be better. It doesn't always happen, but I try. I am the daughter of a single immigrant mother who juggled multiple side hustles to keep our family afloat. Her enormous sacrifices and my successes, no matter how small, are profoundly connected. I am a woman of color, who has sometimes been the only woman of color in the spaces I travel in. But that has never stopped me from showing up. And I am proudly Latina.

This last identifier, in particular, propelled me to launch and lead a brand for multicultural parents when I became a mom and needed guidance on raising kids rooted in their heritage. As the Editor-in-Chief of Parents Latina, part of my mission was to celebrate the nuances that set Latinx parents apart while highlighting the things that bring us together. Not an easy feat considering the vastness of this audience, but one that ingrained in me the importance of giving voice to all those who may not always feel represented in the media.

I'm excited to bring the lens by which I see the world to Parents, where I will always push to highlight a variety of experiences. We know that America is more racially and ethnically diverse than ever before and we need to reflect that. That's why Parents is building communities for and by Black and Latinx people. While we've already begun writing identity-specific content to encourage meaningful connection within these groups, our goal is to create visibility so that anyone who visits our website, regardless of how they identify, can learn how Black families are reinventing the tradition of Sunday dinner or how Latinx families build generational wealth. So, stay tuned for more.

Beyond race and ethnicity, we are also committed to shining a spotlight on family structures labeled "unconventional" or "alternative." My colleagues have done an outstanding job reporting on single moms defying stereotypes, the unique challenges of transgender families, and the rise of multigenerational households. But we can always do more as we work toward building a more inclusive brand. We want you to see yourself in the stories we tell and know that you're not alone, as isolating as parenting can sometimes feel.

As for the common threads that unite us, well, that's simple. Parents from all walks of life want to raise kind, loving kids. In fact, we polled 1,200 primary caregivers and found that compassion is the quality you most want to instill in your children. It is, after all, what gives us hope for a better tomorrow—and goodness knows we can all use a reason to keep going.

I think we can all agree that the past two years have tested us in ways we never thought possible. Mothers, especially, are exhausted, both mentally and physically, with limited, if any, opportunities to recharge. So, I would say that kindness begins at home and with us. Giving ourselves grace as parents is something that I talk a lot about in my podcast, That New Mom Life. I know I can surely use a reminder, and I want all parents, especially those just embarking on this rollercoaster ride, to know it's OK to hit pause and ask yourself, "What do I need right now?"

If the answer is empathy, that's one of the pillars that is embedded into everything we do at Parents. One glance at our About Us page and you'll notice that most of our staffers have little ones at home, too. In other words, we see you because we are you. And we are as committed today as we've been since our brand was born nearly 100 years ago to offer solutions that can lift your load, make you feel supported, and occasionally make you laugh no matter what your parenting journey looks like. Because you, too, are worthy.