project.chameleon

Yikes. It's been awhile since I've had the time to make a comment here. I've been making a concentrated effort to actually study more, and it seems to have paid off. I actually passed my first algebra test. With an "A". Talk about excited. I really wanted to jump up and do a little happy dance, but I figured that might be rather out of place. Somehow I managed to keep my excitement down and pay attention to the lecture that day. It's amazing what a boost to someone's confidence can do for their ability to work.

In other news, I've come to realize (now even more than before) that parents have got to stop treating thier little girls like pristine china dolls. I know all parents aren't like this, but I can honestly say that over 90% of the ones I know are. My son plays soccer, and due to a lack of membership this season, it's become a co-ed league. Our last game was one in which we had to play one of the girls teams. There was a light rain and since it was early in the morning, it was still sort of drab and cold. Most of the girls stood on the field crying, though I will say there were a few that seemed to be enjoying it. Regardless, the girls parents stopped the game, on account of the terrible storm (bet you never knew a light drizzle was life threatening, did you?). I made the comment that if I had a girl, I wouldn't treat her like a delicate crystal vase. I would show her how to be strong, and know that she could do anything that anyone else could do.

I thought...

My daughter would grow up strong. She'd have options and choices and never feel limited to what kind of books she should read or toys she could play with. My daughter would have a closet full of dresses and jeans and in her toy chest you'd find dolls nestled against baseballs and whatever people consider to be traditional non-feminine toys. As she grew up I'd teach her to fight hard and stand up for herself. I'd show her that looks are really secondary to the spectacular brain she had been given, and that having a boyfriend was probably about as important as having namebrand clothing, both of which won't affect your life in any significant way. We'd browse colleges together and I'd help her make her OWN decisions, listening to her but never pointing which direction I thought she should go.

She'd grow up to be strong, opinionated, and ready to face the world -- a world that, regardless of what some might say, is still heavily tilted in the men's favor.

And damn it, she'd play soccer in the rain.