My time

I was always a daddy’s girl at heart, but wanted to be just like my brothers, my mother had other plans. She always putting me in fancy dresses and tell me not to get dirty. That was torture for me. There were times I made her happy and wore the damn dress. Then there were times, probably more, that I would get it  dirty just so I wouldn’t have to wear it.

The boys were never forced into dresses and made to sit while getting their hair curled. What I did not know then, that I would always be treated differently than my brothers. All my growing up, I had my mom tell me how I should act and dress and my dad telling me girls don’t mow the grass or work on cars or do boy things. Even our times to be home, boys could stay out past dark at the same age I was, but I couldn’t. I would always get upset and ask why, my dad would simply say, “because you’re a girl”.

Those four little words would burn through my skull, just rage. If I ‘m anything I am tenacious as hell and will try to prove them all wrong. I’m not sure when my dad finally gave up and just let me be round and help the guys with stuff, but I loved it! I remember helping my dad and a friend of his tear off shingles off our roof. I can’t remember who helped my dad but he wasn’t used to girls helping either. He was always watching me and telling me to be careful, like I’m fragile. At one point I decided to take a break and sat on the edge of the roof to dangle my legs. My dads friend came up from the other side of the roof and yelled, “get away from edge, you’re going to fall”. I turned around thinking he’s talking to my dad, when he comes to me and picks me up. My dad walks over the placed his hand on his friends shoulder and said “she’s fine, she knows what she’s doing.” The man stood there, I can still see his face, he looked confused and tried saying something else when my dad cut him off and said, “she’s always helping me around here, I trust her.” That right there I will always remember. My dad trusted me to help him and he finally accepted me for me. 

Allow me to explain, as a little girl, I had been told “No, because you are a girl” so many times it makes my blood boil, just like it did when I was younger. I hated my dad for a long time for him saying that to me all the time. Even if he was being truthful and honest, no explanation needed when he said that. I could never argue that and that’s what drove me crazy. He was right, I was a girl, and things are different for us.