At 7 years old, I stopped playing with dolls
Because I got a real life doll
Heard her crying and screaming
I’m the eldest daughter now
At 12 years old, my second sister was born
Did they brush their teeth?
Take them to birthday parties
Expensive those books, huh? What about their homework of last night?
To children that weren’t mine
Take them to ballet class
You’re bilingual, teach them another language
I was too young to be a mother
I am too young to be a mother
You asked for it, you wanted a sister
Then, there comes the resentment
You resent your family? What kind of daughter are you?
I put on my 7 year old coat
And go out to buy them new ones
This coat makes you look like one of those homeless kids, I hear
They need new clothes every two months
I want it, I want it, they say
It’s been over a year since I bought something new
But for 7 years they only spent money on me
Now I have to pay them back
Petty jealousy, possessiveness, resentment
Look, your sister’s taken an interest in flower patterns and polaroid pictures
I look at my pinterest boards
Boards much older than she is
I see flower patterns and polaroid pictures
She’s a hipster! She likes vintage things!
I explained to you what vintage was
And don’t you know your family is going through financial trouble?
I always went to the best schools of the neighbourhood
My sisters aren’t in expensive schools
The kind of good that is cheap
It’s okay if they make mistakes
But I can’t make mistakes
Money’s short, nannies are expensive
I can’t go out on weekdays
I need to take care of my sisters
The need to get home at the right time because my sisters can’t be home alone
My children can’t be home alone
I need to be there with them
Every thursday there’s a party at my campus
I can’t go, my sisters will be alone at home
Friends stop asking me to hang out with them
We know you have to take care of your sisters
My schedule revolves around whether my sisters will need me or not
Did they get all their stuff?
It’s okay, dad, you can go play soccer, I’ll stay with the girls
Anger, pettiness, jealousy
I don’t have afternoon classes
I don’t have appointments in the afternoon
Because they have their classes
Because they have their appointments
And when they ask me about children, about sons, and daughters
I already have children, I have two daughters
Because I’m the eldest daughter