She Can be Anything She Wants...

Here's the thing. I, actually, write in two blogs every week. The other one is, mostly, about politics. When my wife and I started writing in this one, I didn't want it to be very political.

That being said, there is something about me that, I'm convinced, is genetically led to be interested in politics. So, it's probably reasonable for the political stuff to spill over into this website on occasion. And this may be one of those occasions. Those of you that know me know that I tend to lean on the "Conservative" side. Likely, this comes from my Christian faith.

Naturally, certain aspects of my faith don't jive well with the culture at large. And, one example of that is the idea of women being put into roles. But, here's the problem. I don't know what I'm talking about anymore.

You see, when my wife wasn't expecting a child, it was easy for me to make assumptions about what I felt to be a "woman's place." And certainly I don't want to go into that. But, the day I found out I'm going to have a little girl, my outlook my have changed.

Quite frankly, I don't get it. I'm a dude. My wife is a chick. My baby is a chick. And yet, I'm going to be expected to help raise her. What does that mean? For some background, I should tell you that I didn't want to find out what the baby does. My wife, being the very practical person she is, wanted to know what colors we'd have to paint the room and what color bedding to by?

Am I taking crazy pills? Can a little boy not wear pink? I've seen all kinds of dudes walking around in pink, and some of them look dang good; I'm pretty sure I do. Anecdotally, some of my underwear were pink all through college; ladies take it for granted that you don't put red stuff in with your white stuff... lots of guys don't know that! Anyhow, if dudes can wear pink, girls can wear blue and so on. What I'm saying is, wear what you want and do what you want and quit making a big deal about it.

But, this all makes me wonder. What if she says she wants to be president? To have to tell my daughter that she can't do something just because of her sex would be terrible. Yet, I do still believe that there are ideal ways to raise kids, and the best includes a mom staying home. So, my wife and I are trying our best to allow her to do just that. What I wonder is what she's going to tell her daughter when she asks.

In the end, now I know why my father's answer to every question was "I don't know; ask your mother." I've got to start practicing that one.

To Spank or Not to Spank…

When I think about having a baby girl, what comes to mind is ruffled dresses, pony tails, flowers, and someday her first kitten, dance recitals, and dollies, and eventually getting pedicures and shopping together. My husband, on the other hand, is gripped with fear about a hormonal, out of control, teenage she-monster. Now, I know there are some pleasant, well-adjusted teenage girls out there. I think I may have had a few of them as friends in high school. The question is, how do we get our little princess, who is barely approaching 1 lb. in utero, to become a respectful, intelligent, young lady.

Last night, some friends were here with their 5, 3, and 1-year-old children. I heard the 3-year-old actually use the phrase, “Mother, may I have some juice please?” (Who says “mother” anymore?) While we adults were playing a game, the 5-year-old just sat in a comfortable chair reading books. And, the baby just slept like a peaceful little angel. Wow! I want one like that! I can’t imagine these children will be anything other than friendly, helpful teenagers. This couple really needs to be teaching parenting classes or something, because most of the kids I work with would sooner kick you in the shins than sit for 45 min. reading books to themselves.

There is a faction that is trying to get a law passed against spanking. Do these people actually have kids? And, if they do, are they brats? As a former spankee, I don’t believe in spanking as a first reaction, but it can be a useful tool in the discipline repertoire under certain circumstances. Some of my most vivid memories are of being spanked, and let me tell you, I only played with matches one time! Most likely, if my toddler tries to grab a hot pot off the stove or insists on playing with electrical sockets I’m likely to slap her hand for the sheer shock value of it. Or, if she refuses to stay in time-out, I’ll likely swat her little behind to let her know I’m serious. Now, I’m pretty sure that time-outs and occasional spankings don’t equal a respectful, well mannered child: neither does giving children unlimited freedom. So, what is the key? I’d really like to know before hand, because apparently we’ll only get one performance and there’s no dress rehearsal. Well, I for one am going to try to enjoy the next 4 months. She can’t possibly get into any trouble whilst in her womb.