Mother: Francia (46)

Daughter: Paula (26)

Pasadena, CA

“100% Pure Colombian Gold”

Hailing from Columbia, Francia and Paula are colorful, vivacious, loud, charismatic, hot-tempered, proud Latina women. The duo has been inseparable since Paula’s premature birth which Francia remedied by holding her daughter against her bare skin, “Kangaroo chest style,” a practice popularized in Columbia. For years after Francia gave birth, she continued the intimate skin-to-skin contact, solidifying an unbreakable bond. Francia was born and raised in Pablo Escobar-era Colombia, which is where she gave birth to Paula. Francia fell for an American man, sparking a decision to leave her birth country and move with Paula to enjoy a better life in America, ultimately landing in Pasadena, CA, where they live together to this day.  

Unfortunately, mom’s romance didn’t work out but the mother/daughter duo remained in the states. They were each other’s entire family as they navigated assimilation into Western Culture. Today, they are as close as ever and still very much honor and integrate their Columbian heritage into their lives. They practice “Cinco Minutos De Felicidad” or, “Five Minutes of Happiness,” together every single day. It’s a routine where they lay in bed and cuddle, tickle one another, or simply hug for five-minutes straight. It’s five minutes of pure and intense quality bonding time. They are also very spiritual and enjoy crystals, meditation, chanting and smudging their home with sage. They love cooking Colombian food completely naked, crediting their native land’s natural comfort towards nudity for their eyebrow-raising behavior. Of course, for them, it’s nothing out of the ordinary! Mom and daughter never second-guessed or scrutinized their closeness until they came to the United States. Their lack of physical or emotional boundaries were normal back home in Columbia. There, the concept of personal space doesn’t exist in the same way that it does in the United States! 

While Francia has poured love and affection over Paula since birth the tables have turned and it is Paula who has adopted the mothering role in their relationship. Francia is a free-spirited, carpe-diem, life-is-meant-to-be-lived, child of the world who loves to travel, dance, meet new people and live her best life. Paula tends to stay at home indulging in self-care routines and spending time with the love of her life: her dog, Prince. She loves nothing more than having close friends over for food and drinks.

Another example of daughter leading the mother: Generally, it’s the mom entering her daughter in pageants, but not in this case! When Francia was going through a low point, Paula convinced mom to enter into a beauty pageant, training and coaching her all along the way, culminating in Francia winning, “Mrs. Latina Global.” Paula acted as coach and mentor for mama throughout the process!

When they are apart, which is rare, Paula is constantly worrying about her mother. If a few hours pass without hearing from Francia, she won’t stop until she knows that she is safe. Ultimately, the attention Paula desires from Francia is never fully satiated. She wants to be around her mother 24/7, and feels a constant desire for her love and protection.

Entering into Francia and Paula’s lives in any capacity, whether it be friendship or romance, is no walk in the park as their inner circle is tightly guarded. Dennis, a friend of Francia’s for over 17 years, is one of those people. A Colombian native himself, the two met at Pasadena City College, and quickly became close, joining Francia and Paula as a chosen family member. He has personally witnessed Francia and Paula’s relationship evolve, and has expressed that he would love to see their tables flip back: Paula should be going out and partying while Francia should be the one at home, acting as the mother. In his opinion, it would do Paula good to leave the nest!

Paula does have a man in her life… slightly. She has been talking with a handsome gentleman named Blake who she met after he slid into her DM’s. While she has expressed that she is interested in him and where their relationship is going, Blake seems to be a bit more hesitant about taking it to the next level, either because he might be a player at heart, or, more likely, because the next steps will certainly include Francia. Blake is interested in Paula, but terrified of meeting her mother, and is going to put it off as long as he can.

Francia has her own romantic affair, John. He’s an older gentleman who is a single-father himself, but he couldn’t be more different than Francia. He’s a steady, calm balance to Francia’s frenetic energy. Although Francia has feelings for John, she considers him a lover and but not someone she would marry or ultimately commit seriously to. She isn’t the type to be tied down! John has feelings for Francia but is taking her lead in the relationship… for now.

The near future holds many challenges and opportunities for growth. Not long ago, Francia’s sister in Columbia passed away after a 15-year battle with HIV, leaving behind a 13-year-old daughter named Alejandra. Francia was very close with her sister and the loss is still fresh for her. However, there comes a beautiful opportunity from the tragedy. Both Paula and Francia have decided to adopt their niece/cousin and raise her as their daughter together, in the United States. They are in the process now of legally adopting her and making arrangements with immigration. They have their work cut out for them, becoming de-facto mothers again/for the first time, in addition to helping a young Columbian girl adapt to a completely new environment, in a new country. Paula was on the verge of moving out of her mother’s house until this happened, so now Paula is planning to stay at home and help raise her cousin. This mom and daughter are navigating romantic relationships, staying true to their roots as well the ups and downs of motherhood. It’ll be a wild, loud, and incredible journey seeing these two shift from being mom and daughter, into mom and mom!