Growing up in a family of strong women, I have always been interested in women’s empowerment. But, just in the past few weeks, I have been investigating emasculation. It is the other side of the coin which I have not really been very sympathetic towards.
It all stemmed from an argument I had with my husband several weeks ago when he was feeling unseen and under-appreciated. It hurt me so much to see how true this was for him. At the time, I was in a state of overwhelm with work and admittedly had not been emotionally as engaged with him as normal.
So, like the personal growth junkie I am, I took total, 100% responsibility for the part I played in this. I also spent some time becoming more aware of how I and the society around us emasculates men. Becoming conscious is truly the first step to be able to make any kind of change.
The first thing I noticed in my own house is how we would make fun of boys being boys and how “icky” they are. (Mind you, these were conversations with my 8 year old daughter). What seems so innocent at first, when you are more aware you notice how frequent such comments are being made, even by men. The first thing I did was to bring this to my husbands attention and shortly there after I overheard him talking to my daughter and letting her know that boys are awesome too! It was as if he took pride in it and took personal responsibility for a more global problem.
If men and women are to co exist, we need to find a place of true partnership. Men and Women are very different and we should seek to understand and celebrate our uniqueness.
I have also realized in the past few weeks that I don’t really understand men and I am wanting to open up more space in my heart for them. It’s as if I love the main male figures in my life, mainly my husband, father, and great grandfather and yet I inherently know that we are wired differently and I often don’t understand how they think or act.
I am committed to learning more about men so that I can connect with them more deeply. Isn’t it funny how this guidance is coming through a week before Father’s day.
So, my challenge for you is to notice where you emasculate men and automatically rob them of their strengths and greatness. I am shocked at how much I do this based on so much conditioning from my family and environment.
If I want to be the most empowered woman, then I must take a stand for men being the most empowered men. We truly do need one another and we all need to be loved, heard and seen.
#womensempowerment #transformationaltuesday #drkelly #consciousdating #appreciatemen #heartopening #pinktent #loveistheanswer #happyfathersday #allisonarmstrong
Kelly you are spot on with this!
Thank you Angie!
This! Such an important conversation to have with women especially in their relationships. I see it all the time with friends and how they speak to their partners and how they treat them in front of other people. I would say that it’s a major factor in why men cheat or even leave. I am also very strong and sometimes “bossy”, but I also have a tremendous level of self awareness and am constantly trying to work on this in my own marriage. Love this topic.
Thank you Christine Bregar for your share! We need more women waking up and taking personal responsibility.