We, adults, have abdicated responsibility willingly because we are offered the easy choices. We give away parental authority to schools, churches and politicians because we believe they know better than we do. We teach our girls to become 'princesses' and our boys to become 'cavemen' because we b…
We, adults, have abdicated responsibility willingly because we are offered the easy choices. We give away parental authority to schools, churches and politicians because we believe they know better than we do. We teach our girls to become 'princesses' and our boys to become 'cavemen' because we believe that is what society and patriarchy demand...and every bit of this is wrong.
We teach intolerance because our 40,000 year old brain is stuck in an US vs.THEM cycle and the proof is not just black/white or women/men it manifests in the Middle East where Israelis and Palestinians are and have (in essence) the same genetic makeup and in Ireland where Protestant/Catholic can not be distinguished.
Learning starts in the home - with both parents being present and accountable. I will not debate the division of household chores, responsible adults need to figure out who washes clothes and who fixes cars on their own. At 16, my daughter was earning money doing brakes and tune-ups for her high school class. In our house I cook all of our meals and do the dishes
If a change is to be made -and it should be- that path will take several generations to accomplish, there is no 'magic bullet' or law that will change basic human interaction. As dismal as that sounds, change IS possible and the reality is that we, women & men must start now.
I am saying it will take generations because it is necessary to start the process before people become parents. It means rethinking the way we treat each other, parent our children, allow institutions (school, religion and friends) to become part of their lives. We were luckier than most - as my wife & I worked alternating day/night shifts someone was always with the children...many people will not have that choice.
In our own lives, we chose to teach kindness, humility and humanity to the children, 2 girls and 1 boy - who grew to be happy productive, kind and giving members of society. The oldest is retired from the food service industry, the middle child is in Forestry and the youngest is a college professor (PhD) who teaches Anthropology and Women's Studies.
It isn't easy, this is perhaps the most difficult thing any adult can do, it is also the most rewarding.
As a footnote, we had our youngest at home with the other two children present, they were 11 and 13 at the time. The best part of this for me was that I got to deliver my daughter!
BRAVA - your answer is brilliant & worthy!
We, adults, have abdicated responsibility willingly because we are offered the easy choices. We give away parental authority to schools, churches and politicians because we believe they know better than we do. We teach our girls to become 'princesses' and our boys to become 'cavemen' because we believe that is what society and patriarchy demand...and every bit of this is wrong.
We teach intolerance because our 40,000 year old brain is stuck in an US vs.THEM cycle and the proof is not just black/white or women/men it manifests in the Middle East where Israelis and Palestinians are and have (in essence) the same genetic makeup and in Ireland where Protestant/Catholic can not be distinguished.
Learning starts in the home - with both parents being present and accountable. I will not debate the division of household chores, responsible adults need to figure out who washes clothes and who fixes cars on their own. At 16, my daughter was earning money doing brakes and tune-ups for her high school class. In our house I cook all of our meals and do the dishes
If a change is to be made -and it should be- that path will take several generations to accomplish, there is no 'magic bullet' or law that will change basic human interaction. As dismal as that sounds, change IS possible and the reality is that we, women & men must start now.
I am saying it will take generations because it is necessary to start the process before people become parents. It means rethinking the way we treat each other, parent our children, allow institutions (school, religion and friends) to become part of their lives. We were luckier than most - as my wife & I worked alternating day/night shifts someone was always with the children...many people will not have that choice.
In our own lives, we chose to teach kindness, humility and humanity to the children, 2 girls and 1 boy - who grew to be happy productive, kind and giving members of society. The oldest is retired from the food service industry, the middle child is in Forestry and the youngest is a college professor (PhD) who teaches Anthropology and Women's Studies.
It isn't easy, this is perhaps the most difficult thing any adult can do, it is also the most rewarding.
As a footnote, we had our youngest at home with the other two children present, they were 11 and 13 at the time. The best part of this for me was that I got to deliver my daughter!