I have ever taken was to lie to my parents. I know lying is not good but in my case it kind of is. I lied to my parents and it feels bad but in a way I know it’s for their own good. It’s hard to explain.

I come from a traditional Mexican family. A family believes that drinking and smoking is a sin, and staying a virgin until the day you say “I do” is the way life should be. To me it’s hard lying to my parents because when I lie, I start to panic. I believe that honesty is the key to a good relationship with your family, friends, co-workers and even your life partner.

But when it comes to the point where I have to disappoint someone who means a lot to me, honesty is not the first thing on my mind. In my house, when you do something bad, there is never a forgive-and-forget. The wrong choice haunts you for the rest of your life.

I’m making it seem like I did something really bad but in reality, it’s not that bad. My risk involved not telling my parents that I liked girls and that I wasn’t into guys.

I’m the youngest and only living daughter in my house, so there are reasons why I would keep this a secret. After losing two sisters, I was the only little girl who survived, the visitor from heaven, you could say.

My two older sisters died when they were babies. They didn’t get a chance to live. Then there is me, the last child. I was a miracle. I was born near on New Years, like one hour away from midnight. There was something wrong with me though. I had to stay in the hospital for almost three weeks until I was able to breath and eat like a normal baby.

My mother said that after losing two babies, they couldn’t take the pain of losing one more, so I was their last hope. As I grew up, my parents were very protective, so it’s hard for me to disappoint them.

I finally realized that if my parents love me so much, they should still love me for who I am, so I told them the truth. My dad looked at me differently for a while but I could tell he still loved me. My mom thought I was crazy and insisted I see a doctor. But after a month, things went back to normal. The risk of telling them was difficult and weird, but it’s a risk I’m glad I took.