Text: “Put some socks on–the cold will go straight to your uterus!”

Context: RF is in her 50s. This is a sentiment her mother (a half-Mexican woman) would say to her when she would walk around the house barefoot. RF theorizes that this is an “old wives’ tale” passed down from her Mexican great-grandmother, who would say the same thing to her own children and grandchildren. The idea being that walking around barefoot is harmful, and that the cold from the floor could cause a woman’s uterus to “catch a chill”–the meaning of which RF’s mother has never explained to her.

Analysis: I think this is probably an old belief that has cycled down through RF’s family–what might’ve been a belief about preserving fertility or maintaining a pregnancy has since become a way for the women of this family to express care towards their daughters or granddaughters. RF doesn’t believe her mother actually believes this, but keeps the saying alive as a form of connection to her grandmother, as well as caring for her own daughter.