Me

over and over again! When they flash that smile at me, I think, “The world could fall apart tomorrow, but it wouldn’t matter to me. This is the greatest joy imaginable.”
    Most people give because they want to receive. It’s like a transaction—if you love me, I’ll love you, and if you give me a hug, I’ll give it back to you. In couples’ relationships, with colleagues, and with friends it is often like that, right? If you love me with two steps, I’ll love you back with two steps. But this love is not like that. This is true love. With this love, there is nothing else to search for. And this type of love begins when one begins to love one’s self. When we learn to accept and love ourselves just as we are, that’s when we can start to give love without expecting anything in return. Then we will find that we receive so much more love than we could ever imagine. Because when others see that we are full of love and that we give without expectations, they are not afraid to fully open up.
    I am concerned about the fact that my sons will have to learn how to grow up in the public eye, and that there are people who are going to want to invade their personal lives for the simple fact that they are my sons. This makes me anxious, not only because it has already started but also because I wanted to avoid it completely. But unfortunately, or fortunately, this is the life they were given and this is the path they will have to take. And they’ll simply have to handle it each in his own way.
    What is certain is that I will not allow my children to grow up in a cage. Life should be lived fully, and in that regard, I want my boys to be healthy, to acquire their own character traits and personalities as they grow, through their individual life experiences. I don’t want them to be afraid of anything; I want them to be transparent and free, and more than anything, I want them to travel and see the world.
    When I was younger, I would often go alone to Europe for my birthday or New Year’s. My mother would say to me, “Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you? First of all, why do you have to go alone? And why do you have to go so far?”
    And I would respond, “Mami, leave me alone. I’m fine here.”
    One night I had the urge to spend the night sitting under the Eiffel Tower, and so I did. I lay down in a park in front of the tower, and at midnight, I said to myself, “Happy New Year!” I did the same thing one time for my birthday. It was amazing to feel that I was doing exactly what I wanted to do, and that I was doing it for myself and no one else.
    I want my children to have experiences of all kinds. I want them to be independent and to live the lives they’ve always dreamed of. I look forward to watching them each walk their own paths, on their terms, and I will support them every step of the way.
    I am Puerto Rican and so are my sons. I want them to always be conscious of their roots, but more than anything, I want my children to see themselves as citizens of the world, because this is what is going to give them the global vision to be men in the twenty-first century.
    I will always make every effort to give my children everything they need. But the important things in life are not material; they are experiences. I want them to have all kinds of memories, because that’s what is going to allow them to live full lives.
    And since I have firsthand experience in knowing how important it is to maintain that connection with our inner child, I will do everything I can to make sure they hold on to the innocence of their youth for many years. And throughout their lives I will do everything possible to protect their integrity as human beings. I am sure that nothing that I want for my children is any different from what other parents also want for their own kids.
    To my children I will say, “I want you to be happy and to always know that my love is unconditional. And that means without conditions . I am here for you. No matter what.”
    I want them to feel they can tell me anything and that I will listen to them and always tell them the truth. They cannot be afraid to tell me anything. They should know that whatever advice I give them will always come first from my own experience, and second from my love for them. Pure love. I’ll say to them, “I am here for you. I can tell you what the consequences will be of certain actions or decisions, and I can tell you what I think will be the consequences of doing this