Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Letter to a Son

There was this great piece in Newsweek by Dan Mulhern, husband to former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, written in the form of a letter to his 13-year-old son about modern manhood. One of my favorite parts of this essay was when he wrote:

"A strong man, Jack, is not threatened by others’ greatness. He’s comfortable with his own.
I have loved raising you and your college-age sisters. It’s been a gift. I stepped out of my male armor. I now cry when I’m sad, afraid, or just overwhelmed by the beauty of a sonata or a newborn baby. I don’t feel less of a man. I do feel more of a human being."

This reminds me of the great ideas Emily put up a while back from Elder and Sister Holland about how much stronger families can be when men are more involved. I know that in my family, my husband is absolutely essential to raising our children and I love that Mulhern suggests that the act of stepping out of his "male armor" (made possible by fully engaging in child-rearing?) made it possible for him to feel like more of a fulfilled human being.

Teaching Girls to Say "No" in Britain

Saw a link to this on LAF/Beautiful Womanhood:  Teaching Girls to Say "No."  I also liked the comment afterward: 
As well as educating our girls on how to say 'no', we ought be educating our boys 'not to ask'. In fact, I'd argue the educating should start with our boys first and foremost - then our girls won't find themselves having to make a decision either way, until the time is right and the son-of-a-gun is on bended knee, proffering a ring.