The Life of a Teenager

As a child, my family called me a "bala perdida". That was a term used to describe a person who was never up o any good. They liked to do bad things and refused to listen to reason.They were morally lost people. Why was I a morally lost person?

I refused to act "like a girl".

I played outside with my cousins and wasn't afraid to get rough. They wanted me inside learning how to sow and clean. I always wore jeans ripped at the knees from use. They wanted me in dresses and shorts. I always played with my brothers' legos and video games. They wanted me to play tea party and Barbies.

All of my family was baffled. My relatives thought buying me more girly toys and punishing me severely would "fix me". As a result, my room became a mess of Barbies and lip gloss and other girly things I never used and I became even more stubborn.

One day, my mother stormed into my room to find me secretly playing one of my brother's gameboy. My eyes widened and I jumped as I realized she was watching me. She yelled at me till her face turned red, hitting me with a belt.

"Look at this mess! This poor Barbie here! If you don't want these toys that much, throw them away!"

Her angry Spanish rang through my ears and I could feel a smile forming on my lips. Throw them away? I can really do that? Is it really that simple? Later that day, one by one I threw it all into the trash. The dresses, the lip gloss, the purses, the manner book, and every single Barbie.

My mother's anger about the mess earlier were tears of joy compared to her anger when she found out I did what I was told.

I rushed back outside and jumped into the red trashcan, bringing it all back inside. Although it was back where it was, it was all trash to me now.

Now as a teenager, I no longer have Barbie dolls. Barbie dolls have been replaced by make-up that sits in a dusty bag under the sink of the bathroom and tube tops lost somewhere in my small closet. My uncles and relatives haven't changed a bit though. They always ask me why I don't wear make-up and summery clothes and why I don't try to learn how to cook in Spanish. I always reply with "What's wrong with throwing away all the Barbies?" In my English. They never understand though.