"Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a" ......"and they lived happily ever after."
Wouldn't it be nice if our lives, like fairytales, could start and end in this way?
Wouldn't it be nice if our lives, like fairytales, could start and end in this way?
Fortunately, (yes, I haven't put the "un" on purpose) our lives are real. And that's a good thing, because, who would run the world if everybody was just waiting for their prince Charming?!
You know what the saddest thing is about fairytales? No, it's not the women being objectified or being shown as the weaker sex . It's the men (I am a feminist, not a feminazi). Those poor guys are under so much pressure! Not to just be handsome or charming, but to also rescue women from weird situations everytime! While one had to walk around a whole village with a slipper in one hand , one had to endure being a frog!
They need to be good looking, valiant, fight witches and demons, yet be gentle and kind and selfless and loving and faithful.
No wonder men in our lives are so stressed all the time. My brother once pointed out that I'm lucky to be a woman. To have a career or to manage the household is my choice. I can do either or both or neither! But it is not the same for men. "Society" demands that men have to have a career for which they need to have basic educational qualifications for which they are put under pressure to excel at school from a very young age (unless they want to become politicians in our country). They are told that men have to provide for the family, they need to be a role model for their children, they need to keep up the family's name in the society. If that's not enough, we now expect them to lend us a hand at household chores and in taking care of children and also deal with us as our mood takes a rollercoaster ride and of course, fight goons for us if it comes to that. If they don't, they are branded as male chauvinists and selfish; If they do, they are taunted to be the woman of the house. In the hope of being independent women, we take away the independence of men.
When we expect them to let us do as we wish, shouldn't we let them be as well? Find a middle ground maybe?
We expect all men to be Prince Charming, who , let's admit, was quite stupid to simply fall in love with a girl whose name he didn't bother to enquire whilst dancing away to glory. I would prefer a more practical man, to be honest.
They need to be good looking, valiant, fight witches and demons, yet be gentle and kind and selfless and loving and faithful.
No wonder men in our lives are so stressed all the time. My brother once pointed out that I'm lucky to be a woman. To have a career or to manage the household is my choice. I can do either or both or neither! But it is not the same for men. "Society" demands that men have to have a career for which they need to have basic educational qualifications for which they are put under pressure to excel at school from a very young age (unless they want to become politicians in our country). They are told that men have to provide for the family, they need to be a role model for their children, they need to keep up the family's name in the society. If that's not enough, we now expect them to lend us a hand at household chores and in taking care of children and also deal with us as our mood takes a rollercoaster ride and of course, fight goons for us if it comes to that. If they don't, they are branded as male chauvinists and selfish; If they do, they are taunted to be the woman of the house. In the hope of being independent women, we take away the independence of men.
When we expect them to let us do as we wish, shouldn't we let them be as well? Find a middle ground maybe?
We expect all men to be Prince Charming, who , let's admit, was quite stupid to simply fall in love with a girl whose name he didn't bother to enquire whilst dancing away to glory. I would prefer a more practical man, to be honest.
This is why I would teach my son that it's okay to not rescue women everytime, they are capable of helping themselves. I would teach him that career is not everything. It is okay if he wants to be a stay at home dad or a stay at home husband/boyfriend while his wife or partner climbs up the career ladder. Sometimes it's more important to just be caring, humble and humane. I would teach him to read fairytales with a different perspective. Would you?
My3.
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