Mexican immigrant parents' hopes for their children and parenting strategies in different immigration climates.

In the present article, we explore the hopes that immigrant parents of Mexican origin have for their children and the strategies they employ to foster such hopes in light of immigration status, immigration climate, and transnational lived experiences. We conducted six focus groups with 42 immigrant parents of Mexican origin living in Arizona and Texas to explore their hopes and strategies used to foster hopes. Parents, the majority of whom were mothers, defined hopes in terms of what they can provide to their children, including (a) a better life through education and economic opportunities, (b) a strong moral and civic upbringing, and (c) safety from neighborhood crime and hostile immigrant climates. Parents fostered these hopes through the strategies of using self as example, parental involvement and monitoring, self-sacrifice, and family unity. Mothers of unauthorized immigration status raising children in a harsh immigration climate also avoided undue public exposure to ensure their children's safety, a task that was difficult for fathers as breadwinners. Immigration status and climate influenced parents' ability to provide opportunities for their children to pursue educational and career opportunities. We discuss parents' hopes and parenting strategies in the context of different immigration climates, highlight emerging gender differences, and provide recommendations for research and practice.