Last month, two dutch men experienced labor. Or at least, they came as close as cis men can come to experiencing labor. They strapped themselves to machines that simulated labor by tightening their stomach muscles, and set a goal to get through two hours of it. You can watch the results for yourself. I think their responses look pretty darn accurate. What say you?
Can I say how much I love having a preschooler? My life is peppered with the most fascinating conversations. Watching Sally learn and figure things out is beautiful, and often also quite humorous.
Last night I was in the middle of reading Sally a book of Greek mythology when she stopped me. She was excited and wanted to tell me something. She pointed to a picture of Medusa. “That’s an angel,” Sally said. “What? Are you sure?” I responded, surprised. How could she think that monster was an angel? “Yes. That’s an angel.” She was sure. And then suddenly it all made sense.
An inspiring quote on developing a positive physical outlook.
Sally recently found a picture of the empty tomb in a Bible story book she has, and brought it to me, confused by the concept of resurrection. I helped her understand the story by putting it in the context of one of her favorite shows, Doctor Who. This moment made me think about the huge vast array of stories we have available to us in myth and fiction, often built on common themes.
Creating a family with Sean has been a never-ending adventure in egalitarian parenting. When I watch Sean with Sally, whether he’s teaching her why ice formed on the puddle from this morning or why the moon changes shape, my heart feels warm. And when I watch how much Bobby adores Sean, with his gummy smiles and happy squeals (Bobby’s, not Sean’s), I can’t help but smile. We’re a team, Sean and I, a team with two junior partners.
Yesterday is the day I stopped being ashamed of being such a very young mother. The reality is that I’m tired of the second guessing, tired of trying to fudge details about when I married or why I began my family so early, tired of all of that. Sean and I chose to marry and have children early. We are who we are, our lives are our own, and if someone doesn’t like that, well then, too bad.
Why are women a great deal more likely to have custody of their children after a divorce than are men? Are men discriminated against when it comes down to child custody? What do feminists think on this issue? In this post I respond to a comment blogger Sheldon made in response to a post I wrote about feminism helps men men, and discuss both why women are more likely to have custody than men and the chance feminism offers to change this.
Sally may only be in preschool, but we are already working to teach her critical thinking, the art of compromise, and the understanding that everyone has needs to be considered. Even at this early age, Sally has learned that she is a valued member of our family, that her opinions and feelings matter, and that she’s not too little to do her own thinking.
Jessica has been Sally’s best friend for a year now, but one evening recently as my little preschooler and I were wrapping presents together she looked up at me sadly and announced that “Jessica says she won’t be my friend anymore.” As I held Sally close and gave her what advice I could, I thought back over everything I have learned about relationships over the years.
It was breakfast, and Sally had shredded her biscuit and was asking for another. I was annoyed. She was insistent. As my frustration bubbled, my commitment to positive parenting was put to the test.
A few anecdotes regarding whether bigotry is innate or learned.
Follow Patheos on
Copyright 2008-2013, Patheos. All rights reserved. Terms of Service | Patheos Privacy Policy | Site developed by Avalon Consulting, LLC
Follow Patheos
Atheist: