I Decided To Break Traditional Norms, And I Know That It's The Right Thing For Me To Do

I grew up under a Hispanic household.

In addition, my siblings and I were raised with Roman Catholic beliefs. We praised the Virgin Mary and were taught not to live sinful life. We were taught that if we do sin, we must confess and ask for forgiveness.

After spending years with my family and understanding how they were raised, I realized why they follow their beliefs, even if some of them are toxic and old school. I learned that the women in my family become wives and cater to their husbands' every need - to cook, to clean, and do everything in between. Eventually, she'll bear children to make the family whole.

I'm not here to bash any women who choose to become wives.I'm not saying this isn't the traditional role I want for myself.

I'd love to be a wife one day. But, I won't be the only one cooking or cleaning I didn't put myself through college just to become a house wife. I have goals and aspirations that I wish to accomplish, and while marriage and having a family are some of those, there are other dreams that must be fulfilled first. I hope to find someone who treats me as an equal and not just a housewife, because I'm more than just cooking and cleaning.

It's very common in the Hispanic community to find a partner. Once you're eighteen, you can get married and live a happy family. Women bear children for the men they think they love at this age, only to grow and realize it wasn't love at all.

One of my closest friends got married at eighteen. Since then she has confessed to me that there would've been no harm in waiting.

I got to experience traveling, college, and so much more in my twenties.

Now, she doesn't believe divorce is an option. My parents got together very young, never married, and had three children by the time my mom was twenty-five. They were raised in a different time, living in Mexico and coming to the United States.

I chose not to follow the traditional path because I don't think I would know what to want in a husband at the age of eighteen. I barely knew my major in college. I also knew that I wanted to experience life without having to worry about a family.

My time will come to get married and have children, but until then I just plan on living my life the best way I know how and breaking traditional norms in my own way.