gendered
...we had to go and “play fight,” which was always known in my head as “Danny’s time to kick my ass.” He was two years older than me, and twice my weight, so it was pretty much a given. Even though I would get beaten up all the time, I still had fun, it’s what I wanted to do. When I wasn’t getting beat up, I was getting beat at a game of basketball, but I loved the sport and always wanted to play anyway. It was the best thing for me, because Danny was way too good so every time I played against him I got better, so at school I beat everyone like nothing. Any time my parents came home with new toys for me to play with, they were always toys that were made for boys. It’s not that they tried to force them on me, because everything that they bought me was something that I wanted. The only times that anyone would see me playing with girls toys was taking my sister’s Barbie corvette and driving around with my turtles in them. The car was pink and all, but I never had a car for my toys, and it was a corvette. Not to mention, it was a car. Boys are supposed to like cars. Besides the car, the only other time I would be holding a girls toy would be when I would ruin my sister’s Barbies. I would either break them or draw on them, but I would never really play with them. I remember one year, Christmas was right around the corner, so I had to do my little detective work around the house, just like any other kid. Every little hiding spot that I could think of as a little kid, I looked in. I found a box that had a Chicago Bears logo on it. I had this feeling of excitement in the middle of my stomach. I wanted to take it out right at that moment. I went to my mom and asked her what it was, and she said it was something of my dad’s for work. I knew this was a lie, but I went along with it anyway. The day finally came, and I couldn’t wait to open it. It was so teasing, just sitting there, waiting to be opened, but I had to wait until my turn. I was like a starving person looking at a beautiful roasted turkey, but forbidden to eat it. I finally opened ...