My oldest is now 10. Last year, or maybe it was two years ago, he went to a sleepover birthday party as kids do. At the time, I didn't think anything of the fact that he was the only boy on the invite list. After the party ended, I forgot it had even happened. I was at another party a few months ago where the topic was "that party with the boy sleeping over." The parents were sagely nodding to each other, relieved that one girl just went for the movie and didn’t sleep over. According to the group wisdom, her parents had done well. "Uh, yeah," I finally said. "That one boy there was my … [Read more...]
Women’s March Divides by Gender, Still Unites Family
Our mother-daughter and father-son split Saturday morning was one of necessity. We had to solve for multiple events happening at the same time. Mama and daughter were up early that day of the Women’s March, packing snacks and deciding what to wear. Mama had furiously knit three of the famous “pussyhats” out of pink yarn — for friends and for my daughter. She’s now making three more for friends as far away as England while my daughter continues proudly wearing hers to school all week. As they left the house for the train station that morning, my son was putting on his Cub Scout uniform … [Read more...]
America’s Fathers Need a ‘Child-Friendly, Parent-Supportive Country’
Fatherhood is getting better for America’s 70 million dads … but it still kinda sucks for many of them, according to a new report released yesterday. The first State of America’s Fathers report, released this morning by Promundo-U.S. gender justice initiative and the MenCare global fatherhood campaign, provides mixed news on how far dads have come. It focused heavily on what needs to improve for the United States to be a truly "child-friendly and parent-supportive country" that benefits moms and kids as well as dads. “Fathers are more present in the lives of their children than in the … [Read more...]
Jennifer Garner Points Out that Work-Life Balance is Every Parent’s Job
Balancing work and family life can be an exercise in spinning plates for dads as well as moms. If you don't believe me, just ask Jennifer Garner. The actress and mother of three recently noted that while she and actor/husband Ben Affleck were out promoting new movies every single interviewer asked her how she balances work and family while none of her husband’s interviewers asked him that same question. Same careers, same family yet the focus of Affleck's interviews was instead on his co-stars' breasts. The term “shared family” is appropriate for families like theirs and mine, where two … [Read more...]
WNBA, My Daughter ‘Stand For Women’
Watching sports with my daughter is different than watching sports with my son. I admit that it shouldn't be, but it is. With my son, we get caught up in the excitement of the game, root for our favorites and cheer at the opposing team’s failures. With my daughter, though, somehow I get caught up in giving her a history lesson on women’s sports and trying to convince her that she needs to work harder in every area of her life. Why? Because the inequalities between the genders are glaring when viewed through the sports lens. Women’s sports continue to play second fiddle to men’s. And in … [Read more...]