Why Have a Quince?

A lot of Chicagoians these days ask me the question, “Why have a quince for my daughter?”

I look at them for a moment, smile, and say, “Why?  Because you can!”

The bottom line is that girls just want to have fun.  And what better way is there to celebrate a girl’s entrance into womanhood than a great party with family and friends? 

Life is about experiences.  We all know that.  The more experiences you have, the fuller life you will live and the better-equipped you will be to handle adversity.  A Chicago quince is one of the most memorable experiences of a girl’s life.  It teaches them that they do deserve to be a princess, even if only for a day.  A growing number of married girls in their late 20’s have told me that their quince was more memorable than their wedding.  That is saying a lot. 

Quinceanera.  It is a rite of passage for our girls.  They put on that beautiful quinceanera dress and become the Princess of the World for an entire day.  Can you put a price on that?  Most of our daughters are loyal, loving girls who will become loyal, loving wives.  Why not give them something so that they can look back on their childhood and say, “I had a great childhood.  I had a great mother who taught me that experiences will always be more important than how much stuff I have.” 

Moms, all we can do is hope our children grow up to be loyal and loving wives and husbands.  From birth we try to instill these values in our children.  But it can be hard.  But I guarantee you that, even if you think your daughter is spoiled right now, when she is older and has kids of her own she will look back on her quince and think to herself, “Why was I such a brat?  All my parents ever wanted for me was to be happy.”  And she will think of you, mom.  She will think of how selfless you were as you planned her quince on a shoe-string budget and hopefully she will be the same way with her daughter.  That is how these things are taught and learned--through example. 

Whether or not you decide to have a quince for your daughter, I hope you always try to teach her perspective.  Teach her love and loyalty and hopefully she will be able to pass those values down to the next generation.  Because without those values, what are we?

Maria

Here is a little video I found that shows many aspects of a Chicago quince...