My youngest child would binge watch Power Rangers as a toddler (some days she still does this). It didn’t matter if it was the original series or Mystic Force, she was studying “how to fight evil” through watching this show. Then when her sisters came home she would try to practice the moves on them with some success. I think it's her calling, and most of us around the house have given in to this notion that she will be a real life superhero when she grows up. Some in our house, those less imaginative types, love to crush her dreams with the harsh reality of well... Reality. For the most part I left it alone and let it be something that siblings work on together. But it had gotten to the point that she began to doubt her “super hero” potential. That’s when I had to step in. I don’t believe in fostering a delusional state of being, but I do also believe that the possibilities are endless and no one’s dreams deserve to be crushed...
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Let’s stop lying to our daughters. Let’s stop pretending we want them to grow up as powerful, independent women; women who don’t need a man to sustain them. Powerful women that can lead nations and have countries fall before their feet. Women who can do just as much or more than men. Let’s stop lying to our daughters. Let’s stop preparing them for worlds that we’re unwilling to build. Stop showing her a path that we’re unwilling to clear. Stop preparing her for a war that we will not start. Stop setting her up for the frustration of a world of men who turn deaf ears to her pleas, and women too confused and asleep to hear her cries for help. Let’s stop lying to our daughters. Let’s stop empowering her to believe her body is her own. Stop pretending you wouldn’t sell her flesh for cattle. Stop enriching her with the expectation that her “no” means nothing more that what she says. Keep her naked. Keep her covered. Keep her consciously aware that her actions are to blame for the violent reactions of men. Let’s stop pretending that we would not rather keep her chained in place. A maid in waiting. A woman wandering in a barren land. Stop lying to her mother. Stop promising that the next generations will have it better. Stop cultivating the hope that if she complies you will relinquish your hold on her freedoms. That she will have the autonomy her mother never had. Let’s stop lying to our daughters. Stop brushing her hair and whispering sweet lies about how strong she is and how proud you are. How the path for her is clearer than your own. Stop telling her that she’s her grandmother’s wildest dream and your greatest hope. Because deep down. You want her to have what you have. You want her wed. You want to ensure she is desired and protected by a man. Let’s stop lying to our daughters. Let’s stop parading false idols before her; women with crowns made from the shards of broken ceilings carrying heavy crosses of patriarchy across their backs. Stop the heaviness of her tears with your votes. Pause the magnitude of your encouragement with your actions. Let’s stop lying to our daughters. Stop selling dreams that will never come true. Keep her sleeping. Keep her drowning in your wanton expectation. Keep her focused on her family. Keep her entranced by empty promises of equality. Keep her in denial of her own power. Crush her revolutions with laundry ads and baby tears and magazines of pretty women who have it all. Eclipse her moons and hide her talents and erase her victories. Let’s stop lying to our daughters. Just an FYI on why I wrote this... it's not just this election its in the fiber of everything we do. But this election did an amazing job at highlighting why progress is so stagnant in this country. Heres the breakdown for women* Lastly... for educated and uneducated men*
*I find it very problematic that there is no exit-poll data on Asian-American voters broken down via gender. If you find this information please leave it in the comments. It's says a lot about this country that we are ignoring a very important group of people. |
I'm a former teacher and former college athlete, currently working to make life more equitable for all people. My mission is to get parents to partner with their child's teacher.
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