What Lunea Said.
Somewhere, in one of Starhawk's books, there's a several-paragraph description of the life that I imagine that I was meant to lead, a few paragraphs that changed my life and gave it purpose and named its directions, a description of a woman who makes confections going down to the docks in the afternoon to see in the boats, in a culture that honors mothers and women and the divine feminine. Lunea reminds me that that world is out there, possible, beginning to take shape.
Way down, below the ocean, where I wanna be, she may be.
I was at G/Son's b/day party today. Every one of the ethnically-diverse fathers at the party, from my amazingly gorgeous, brilliant, kind, hard-working, fantastic writer of a good Son, to a guy who works for a local sports team, to a computer guy, to the guy who lives next door to Son and DiL, every one of them was a 100% more involved and caring and great dad than any of the men with whom I grew up in the 1950s. Every one of them was changing diapers (I do not believe that my father ever, in his entire life, ever, changed the diapers of even one of his five children), running after their toddlers while their wives chatted, filling plates for their children, refereeing squabbles over sharing. They give me hope, they do, these young men. Their own sons will be -- so different.
This is my will. So mote it be.
2 comments:
And the guy who works for the local sports team is a stay-at-home dad, who works hours around his wife's and children's schedules. He stays at home because he believes that his children need a parent at home until they reach pre-school age and supports his wife's profession as a prosecutor. There was never an assumption that she should be the one to stay at home.
My dad was like that in the era when nobody else's dad was like that. He would take the whole neighborhood sledding on a snow day. Everybody loved him, especially me.
Guess who raised that great son who is now taking great care of your grandson? PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK NOW!!!!
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