Spanish may be the tie that binds, but its use in America is slowly dying from one generation to the next.
Chicago radio personality Paulina Roe is fighting to reverse that trend.
"I am a 'no sabo' mom, is what I call myself," said Roe. "And I'm saying that, because I want to reclaim that term."
"No Sabo" is the equivalent of saying "me don't know" in Spanish. More than a grammatical mistake, it has become a reference to the insecurity that a lot of second-generation American Latinos carry with them.
"I used to feel so ashamed and just so guilty," said Roe. "And then I realized, this is who I am."
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Paulina Roe, works on the Fred Show at 103.5 KISS FM, an iHeart radio station. Her mother is Polish. Her father is Mexican but she never learned to speak Spanish. Her experience is not uncommon.
DePaul University Professor Dr. Lourdes Torres co-wrote a book on Spanish in Chicago and how it often fades from one generation to the next.
"People refer to the United States as a graveyard for foreign languages, because languages that are not English are not nurtured, encouraged and supported in the United States," explained Torres.
Torres said shaming those who have lost the language is cruel.
"In fact, I think that rather than critiquing people who haven't maintained their language, we should be giving medals to people who have, because it's heroic," said Torres.
Roe is trying to bring it back with her daughter GiGi.
"Now that I have a daughter, I'm sort of trying to pass on those traditions and have her feel included in her culture at a much younger age than I have," said Roe.
Roe said she is using the Spanish she learned in adulthood.
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"I may not speak Spanish fluently. I may not speak Spanish well. But, I think I am trying," she said.
While her husband and his parents are fluent.
"I said, you know, "do you mind just speaking Spanish to her?" I don't care if it's not every word, every sentence. Just so she can becomes familiar with certain things," said Roe.
Grandparents, according to Torres, can be the best way to preserve language from one generation to the next.
"The grandmother effect is everything. Grandma in the house, having a grandpa or people who are first-generation speakers who only speak that language in the household with you. That's the best way to maintain your language," said Torres.
And as little Gigi learns to communicate and count in multiple languages - it appears the plan is working.