The New Feminist

So, I in no way would be interested in starting a big debate or controversy. I believe what I believe, and I believe you are entitled to believe what you want to believe. It's unlikely that anyone is going to cause me to change my views, and I can understand and accept that it's unlikely I'll change yours. I'm ok with all that. But I do have very strong views about a lot of things. I was raised very conservatively and I have remained conservative. I think conservatives make themselves look bad. I'm not a liberal and don't like or agree with pretty much anything they stand for. So that's where I'm coming from. But the point here today is to talk about feminism. I hate what feminism has become. It doesn't empower women. I honestly don't know much about what feminists believe and promote other than that a woman can do everything a man can do and that no one can tell a women what to do with her body (meaning she should be free to abort any baby she doesn't feel like having). So since I can not eloquently or accurately comment on what liberal feminism is, I will instead comment on what real feminism should be. Women should love being women and embrace all that it entails. Why in the world would we want to do everything that men do, we are not men...we are women. In my house, I don't wash the cars, I don't do yardwork, I don't take the car to the mechanic, I don't move or lift heavy things, I don't answer the door when someone comes over unexpectedly late at night. My husband does these things, they are his role in our family, among other things. My role? I stay home and take care of our four children. I keep our house clean...relatively, I make my kids school lunches, make dinner every night. I give my kids a bath and put them to bed, I do the laundry, take my kids to school and pick them up, either my husband or myself go on every field trip they have, I take them to the Dr. and then take care of them when they are sick, I'm here when they fall and get hurt, when they argue, when they get their feelings hurt, I pull their teeth and I put their bandaids on. I homeschool my youngest daughter who has special needs, I babysit two kids who I love, I volunteer at my church...among other things. I love staying home. I've wanted to be home ever since I had my first child as a teenager. I want to be with my kids, I want to raise them, train them, love them, and just be there. I just want to be with my kids. This is feminism...being feminine. I don't want to do everything men do because I'm not a man. I'm a women and I take great joy in doing what women do. Wouldn't it be amazing if this became the new feminism? If women went home and took care of their kids and enjoyed it. If society didn't tell women they weren't contributing if they weren't working outside their homes, if we quit buying the lie that jobs and positions and titles and money could make us happy. If we quit thinking that having every THING is what life is about, if we could quit chasing THINGS, and start chasing relationships. Wouldn't the world...or at least America be a different place. Women be women, do it proudly, do it well. Let men be men, let them do it well. It's ok to play our role. It's ok! I totally realize this can't work for everyone. There are single moms, or families that just really require two incomes to get by. I get that, I understand. But if you can stay home with your kids, and be a home maker, then quit buying the lie that you can do more for the world by working. There's no better use of your time and your life than to be there with your kids. Here's the bottom line for me. The question has been asked of numerous conservative families. Are you just raising your daughters to be moms? Whew, that makes my blood boil a little. The answer is yes! I want grand children so I am very hopeful that I am raising my daughters to be mothers. I hope they desire and are given the option and choose to be stay at home moms. Here's why: if they think they want to be moms I hope it's because they have seen and appreciated the value in what I have spent my life doing for them. So I think real feminism is letting women do what women were made to do, not telling them they are worthless unless they do everything the men do.

Where My Heart Is

So I read a story tonight that naturally had me in tears. It was about a man who does triathlons and such with his disabled 13 year old daughter. Very similar to the Hoyt family, which just makes me cry buckets. Besides just being human and having a heart, it really struck accord with me because I have a disabled child. She is not disabled to the same degree that this sweet girl is. She can walk and talk and do many things for herself. But she is handicapped. I think she'll probably always live with us, or at least require some level of care. It's so precious to see the love these parents have for these children. These are people that society writes off as invaluable, unimportant. People that we would look the other way when we see them. I shamefully admit that I too do this. Mostly out of discomfort, not knowing what to do. I don't want to make them feel as though I'm staring...but do I make them feel invisible? I don't know. I dont know how best to handle that situation. I do know this. I know why those men do that for their children. I know that I am overwhelmed with feelings for my daughter. I just quite simply adore her. I love all my children, I would do anything for each of them, but theres just something about my disabled daughter. I adore her. She is so completely precious to me. Maybe almost losing her changes my perspective? Maybe sorrow for the life she can't live? Maybe. Those things do make me sad. Break my heart really. She'll never get to play on the same sports teams with her twin sister. She'll never drive. She'll probably never live completely independently. She'll probably never get married or have children. Which means she'll never have grandchildren. Who will take care of her when I'm gone? Who will treat her the way I want her to be treated? Who will see how special and precious she is and treat her accordingly? These are all things that break and strike fear in my heart. I'm not 100% sure what the point is here tonight. I just know that I adore my daughter. I can't bear the thought of her being mistreated or treated like she is invalid, and inconvenience. She is so much more than the things that you see outwardly. She is my daughter, whom I love, whom I sacrifice for , whom I have cried countless tears over, who fills me with joy, for whom I gladly give up the plans I had for my life. So treat her well. And treat every disabled person you meet well because they have someone somewhere feeling all these same things for them...and if they don't? Then they deserve for you to treat them well even more. This is rambling and I think it doesn't make much sense. But it's my heart.