As International Woman’s day passes, I am thinking about what the experience of being a male in this world is like right now. My son asked me is there a Men’s day? I said no. And I thought it was because so much of the stuff that happens in the world is because of decisions men make, and women are only just being able to join that conversation as equals, now. And then I stop and imagine what that feels like to him. It’s not his fault that some men have tried to dominate women for so long. It’s not his fault that once upon a time some men felt threatened and scared by the power women had in their ability to grow babies inside them. Hollie McNish’s poem that we used in Babyhood about how her partner stood with her as she birthed her baby, telling her to “shout about her achievement that day”, proves to me that there are men who gladly take on the role of equal humans.
I hope for my son’s that they grow up feeling that it’s not all on them to manage their lives but they can rely on the strength of the women around them too. We have got into a position where sexism is so prevalent that we don’t consider how damaging it is for the little people in our lives. My boys know its ok to cry and rage and scream and feel, and I am proud that they are able to do this without considering what anyone might think, that will come in time but for now, I embrace every emotion they show me, and rejoice in their freedom…while modelling self-care 😉
Maybe one day we can hope for an International Men’s Day to celebrate the men who stand side to side with us women seeing the world as we do and championing the need for our balance.
