Feminism, sort of

This post could go most anywhere.

It starts out with being a parent. The feminism part comes later.

Children are great about 90-95% of the time as many (most?) of you well know.

Its terrific when they learn to laugh, walk, talk, dance, mangle words, sing or play in a school concert, perform in a play, bring home drawings or crafts just for you, succeed in a sport. I think I've made the point.

Ah, but the other 5-10%, when you want to take your progeny to the nearest bridge and throw them off. Later you laugh, but not just then.

You know, when they put toast into the CD player, get sticky something all over the car, furniture, TV screen, scratch your favorite CD, break a window (OK, not so much that one), scream for no apparent reason, go running around in a store, shred one of your speakers (see last post), crash your car or...

One of my favorite anecdotes concerns my middle son.

My wife and I were working in our business when my son called. My wife answered and heard him say, "Hi mom. First of all we got the fire out..." They were cooking and started a grease fire. It did no real harm except for a little smoke damage and they had the sense to carefully carry the pan outside.

By the way I have only sons. On my father's side of the family there have been only 3 girls born in 400 years. My dad fathered 2 and his brother 1 of them.

When I called my grandfather and told him my wife had given birth to our first child he told me that was great. "What was it?" I told him a boy. He said, "Good. Girls are no damn good."

Now I didn't exactly share his sentiments, but you didn't argue with grampa.

My mother was an accomplished woman before deciding to be a stay at home mom. She managed 3 ice cream parlors in San Francisco when younger. I've lived around exceptional, strong, mostly career women all my life and can never understand why they seem to frighten or intimidate men.