Flor was selfish and stupid

Agreed. This is better-said than I would have managed and sums up what I thought very well.. (in other words, I wouldn't need to respond if this were Facebook, as I could have just <Like>d your comment)

I can see the points you're making but I still feel like there is something else to be said about Flor's motives.

You mentioned that Deborah is cold to her own daughter because she doesn't fit into her mold. Well that's pretty much what Flor's issue was too, even getting emotionally distraught when thinking of the possibility that Christina doesn't want to be like her.

Also, to say that Flor pulled Christina out of a good school because she didn't want her to end up like Deborah doesn't make any sense. Flor knows that Deborah isn't a self centered, materialistic bitch just because she's rich. The rest of the family is wealthy also but they aren't like that. Flor would know first hand, being in love with John, that you can be wealthy and stay grounded and keep your morals. Also, Flor herself said that Bernie's good heart could not be changed by the school. Why does that not hold true for Christina whose mother is a much better role model than Bernie's mother? You can also keep your roots while attending a good school for that matter as well. So really pulling her daughter out of the school just robbed her of a good future.

Also, just because you are smart does not guarantee that you will automatically find a great school and be accepted. There are others just as smart and limited scholarships available. The fact that Christina was able to get one in the first place is a huge stroke of luck and shouldn't have been tossed away for the sake of maintaining a tradition of doing manual labor. Just my opinion.

Great reply

Adam Sandler's character commented on being worried about his daughter going to that school because of the people there. Flor reassured him that nothing was going to change Bernie's heart. But Flor saw that her daughter was easily influenced and being that it is her job as a mother to influence her daughter's values and outlook on life, she separated her daughter from bad influences while she could so that when her daughter was older and had a better sense of reality and a better understanding of who she is and where she stands as a person, she will take the right path in life. This is a mistake so many parents make in life. They give too much freedom for their children to chose their path and choices in life, when it is suppose to be the parents, then when the children make the wrong choices we put it on the kids who weren't working with all the facts and couldn't comprehend where their bad choices could lead; but then again, most adults cannot comprehend where their bad choice could lead, either.
Flor was going to influence her daughter for as long as possible and shelter her from the bad influences for as long as possible so when her daughter goes out into the world as an adult, she will have a good sense of self and not get lost from the bad influences in life. Most people get lost and make bad choices because they were never lead to begin with.
Then- a place in time.
Than- preference between one or the other.

In reality - if john had divorced Deborah and married flor there would be a huge wedge driven into all the child relationships. Nobody would turn around and clap because they are step siblings. Beanies family dynamic would be ripped apart - why? Because of this mexican woman who cleans their house got her parents divorced. Flor is obviously not the type of woman who would put herself in that situation or expose her child to that or ruin johns kids family situation. She can't work there after that. Yea floors kid has a scholarship but she did the unselfish right thing and she knows her daughter will be successful as we see at the end the daughter is narrating her college essay.