Feminist Pilgrims

I have four children, three sons and one daughter.  I want all of them to be strong, healthy, happy people with equal rights.  I want them all to be feminists, not just my daughter but my sons too.   

While I am extremely passionate about my sons being able to express themselves and be sensitive, compassionate, empathetic human beings.  I feel an intense urgency right now to make sure that my daughter understands that she can be strong and powerful and get in the game and have a voice and be heard and seen and unafraid.  

Maybe it's because I was a girl once and I remember what it feels like to not truly know those things.  Maybe it's because she's almost 11 and things are about to get very real in girl becoming a woman land.

I try to explain, I try to show by example.  We talk about things, a lot of things.  I don't know if she gets it, or if it's sinking in.  Sometimes she seems so uncertain and I worry.  Sometimes she doesn't speak up when I think she wants to.  But then she does something or says something that makes me know my little girl is listening, and putting her own spin on things, figuring things out in her own way.

The other day at bedtime she was telling me about how they are studying the Pilgrims in school.  At first much of the conversation focused on how she really thinks it would have been better to study the Pilgrims around Thanksgiving, duh.  But then she started to tell me how appalled she was about how the women and girls were treated.  

"They did all the work mom, all of it!," she told me.  "And the guys were just hanging out. It just wasn't right, I mean geez."

I want Lucy to feel pissed about the Pilgrims.  I want her to see the injustice in the stories. I want her to use that passion to make sure she doesn't back down and that she honors the history of struggle for equal rights for women and men.

For a report she had to do on George Washington, Lucy was adamant about including the fact that he was "a liar" in her report.  She was extremely upset that he didn't free his slaves like he promised Martha he would.  

"I can't believe he didn't do what he said he would!," she said looking both heartbroken and angry.

Watching her learn about life and history and struggle reignites my own passion. I feel fired up for my one daughter and my three sons and everybody.  I want all of us to feel heard and seen and unafraid, and have equal rights.  I want all of us to be feminists.

I asked Lucy if I could video her talking about the Pilgrims and if I could put it on YouTube.  She agreed.  Check out the moment that Lucy discovers she is indeed a feminist.



(Click here to watch the video.)

Lucy and I watched THIS speech from Emma Watson together.  It.Is.Ahhhhhmazing. I watched it last year and was inspired, but found it even more powerful watching it with my daughter.


  (Click here to watch the video)

Lucy and I didn't watch this together yet, but it is pretty damn powerful too.

The F-Word

This post is inspired by my friend Jenni Chiu over at Mommy Nani Booboo when she wrote a compelling post called "I am the F-Word."  She is amazing and inspiring and I love how she is getting this conversation about the F-word going in a different direction than some of the celebrities and media right now. I am happy to be a part of that direction.

The F-word gets a bad rap.  I'm talking about the word Feminist.  Some people may have stopped reading after seeing that word.  Time magazine suggests we ban the word.  A few celebrities try to distance themselves from the word.  And I don't get it.

Feminism is about equal rights for women.  What is horrible about equal rights?  Why is being proactive for equal rights for women a controversial, divisive thing?  

Maybe it's because the image of a feminist is a man-bashing, uber-liberal, angry woman.  But guess what...not all feminists look alike or make the same choices or vote for the same people.  Just like all moms don't wear high-wasted jeans and have short hair. 

To me, equal rights for EVERYONE means we have freedom to make choices--get married to who we want, if we want; stay at home with kids or work outside the home and have kids; run for office or not run for office.  

I am a Feminist. 
I made a little video about my feminism, check it out.


(Click here to watch the video.)


I am proud to be a suburban stay-at-home mother of four children, Methodist, Feminist.  I am proud to be pro-equal rights.  I am proud to be part of a movement that supports encouraging girls and women to reach their full potential.  I am proud to be a part of a movement that teaches boys and men to treat girls and women with respect.  

This post is not meant to ruffle feathers or be controversial or divisive.  This post is just my story about why I am a proud Feminist and why I don't think the F-word is bad. I hope people will listen even if they don't agree with me.  When people tell me they are a Republican, I do not make a joke, I listen.  If people tell me they don't believe in global warming, I listen.  I think if we drop our preconceived ideas or what Time magazine or Fox News or MSNBC tells us about the F-word (and really everything else), it might be interesting what we learn about each other.  And there might be more Feminists.

What do YOU think?