“Papa, Let’s Play Princess” – A Gay Dad’s Perspective
“Papa, Let’s Play Princess” – A Gay Dad’s Perspective
The day my daughter was born was the happiest of my life. As a gay man, I questioned if I would ever become a parent. But here I was, holding this tiny human that would one day call me Papa.
And she was a girl!
I hoped for a girl. I felt that I knew girls. Most of my friends were girls. My professional circle was mostly female. I never felt particularly masculine myself.
This was going to be easy!
Let’s rewind a bit. As a kid, I loved everything about girl-world. I secretly owned three Barbies that I literally kept hidden in my closet. I wanted to be a dancer but I was afraid […]
How to Help Your Daughter Prevent Sexual Assault
How to Talk to Your Daughter About Sexual Assault *
#MeToo
Social media feeds were filled with the hashtag #metoo yesterday. It started with Alyssa Milano’s tweet:
If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote “Me too” as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.
I hope it worked… for creating awareness, at least. As a male, I can say that men have no idea how common harassment is, whether it’s blatant or subtle. Since sexual harassment doesn’t affect us in the same way, we aren’t paying attention. This needs to change.
I’m reminded of a Facebook post by a friend, who had a conversation with her 3-year-old about […]
No, You Can’t be a “Girl-Ninja”
No, You Can’t be a “Girl-Ninja”
“Look, Papa, I’m a girl-ninja,” said my daughter as she moved her hands around, fight mode.
Really? A girl ninja? Only five years old and somehow she picked up that ninjas had gender, male gender to be exact. “Whoa, that’s awesome,” I told her. “But also, it’s just called ninja, because you don’t call boys boy-ninjas.” She didn’t really care. She just kept showing off her moves. My husband gave me a look that said both, chill-out and thank you.
It bothers me, though it’s nothing new. This happens all the time. What exactly is inherently masculine about ninjas? Aren’t their bodies and faces all covered up? At least she knew she could be a ninja if she […]