My reason for feminism

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, and I wasn't going to take note of it nor celebrate it. Then, I read the Yarn Harlot's post. Not only was she eloquent, but she's right. Feminism is and should be the practice of equality of the sexes, both sexes.

In college, I was the one with the "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle" bumper sticker. Not because I thought men were unnecessary, but because I thought the image of a fish riding a bicycle was funny. I didn't believe a woman should need a man. She should be self-reliant and only be with a man because she wants him. As a mother, I tell my son he should never get married because he needs to, but only because he wants to be with someone more than anyone else, because that person brings light and wonder to his world, and he, in turn, is the light of his/her world.

As a feminist, I want my son to face a female competitor as an equal, and not as a girl he has to let win otherwise her self-esteem might be damaged. I shared his frustration when his boys' basketball team was told this weekend that they had to lose the scrimage against the girls' team, not because I felt like he was cheated, but because I felt the girls were cheated out of a fair game. In our house, there's no affirmative action for gender or age. We only let you win if you suck.

As as feminist, I want my son to grow up and do what makes him happy, and I want the world to accept him as he is. I don't want him to be the major breadwinner just because he is the man. I don't want him to shoulder the financial burdens of his household alone. I want him to pick whatever career he wants regardless of whether or not it is a traditionally "feminine" or "masculine" job. I want him to find a partner in life who complements him, the yin to his yang, one who is his equal and a true partner.

As a feminist, I celebrate the strengths and the weaknesses of both sexes and the expansion of opportunities based on who you are and not on your gender.

So, here's my reason for feminism, my son. May his world continue to be expanded as it harnesses what each person has to offer.

From Colorado 2010

(And yes, that is a pink scarf he's wearing. As Little Clover correctly stated, "Real men wear pink." Pink is after all, just a color.)

Happiness is finding a pencil

The blue car in white snow.

I love watching a well played sporting event. A proper sporting event, no matter what sport, has a fluidity and a grace, a finesse to it that can be just as satisfying to watch as a play or ballet, especially when the sport involves little people. Basketball season has officially begun and Little Clover had his first game this Sunday. Despite the loss, his team played quite well. They have one play, but at least they have a play. The play consists of the point guard dribbling across the line, passing the ball to Little Clover, who then passes the ball to a teammate who then passes it to another taller teammate who shoots. The team executed the play with brilliance about three times, then they became little kids and ran all over the court. It was quite cute, especially when they decided they needed to talk to Mom and Dad and would run over to the stands, sometimes while there was still action on the court. Little Clover was the lead scorer of the game, bringin in 7 of the teams 11 points. He was quite proud.

As were Italian and I. Honestly, I can't think of many things more wonderful than watching kids play sports. There is a remarkable excitement at each success and an astounding lack of concern over "failures." Little Clover's team didn't care about the loss. They were excited to play adn were thrilled with their shoots and their steals. They grin with happiness after every shot and stare at the stands looking for approval and a thumbs up from their parents. It's nice to know that my opinion matters to him and it's amazing to see his face beam. Maybe I only love it because Little Clover does. Who knows. His happiness makes me smile.

The blue bath

The blue kettle

In keeping with Project Spectrum, above is a short photo montage of blue (with a little bit of white thrown in for fun). I found out about Project Spectrum late last year, but enjoyed seeing the colors in the blogs I visited. This year, being a part of Project Spectrum has made me more aware of certain colors around me. When I see the sky, it's no longer an expanse of wide sea, now, it's a photo op! Blueberries look edible and photo perfect. I even ventured out of my normal color range and bought (before Lent) an exotic fibre in grey for spinning. More on that later.

Good Night Moon

Bedtime, with a little person, is one of my favorite times of the day. That is time when Little Clover and I have our best talks. It is our time to connect and it is the time of day when we have each other's full attention. Our conversations can be very trivial, but sometimes, they can revolve around some serious topics. The other night, we had one of our soul searching conversations. We talked about bugs.

It began with Little Clover and I discussing the state of the housekeeping and how he decided that the next night, we would clean the house. I had no idea that he was this involved in the state of the kitchen floors. He told me that he and Italian would take care of his bathroom counter where his microscope was cirrently residing. Evidently, he thought that the dead spider he and Italian had been examining was too much for me to bear. I told him I didn't mind dead spiders, it was the live ones that bothered me. Then he asked me what my favorite bugs were. We talked for 15 minutes on which bugs we liked and which ones we didn't and I really began to hope that when he is sixteen and going through his teenage stuff, he will still talk to me at bedtime about whatever is on his mind.

I mentioned that I liked butterflies and moths. Then he looked at me with a very serious expression. He said, "You only like moths when they are outside. Inside, they might eat your yarn."

I smiled.

I have actually been getting quite a bit of knitting and spinning done. I'm headed out of town to Minneapolis for work and I am pushing myself to finish Anniversary Sweater Part II before I leave. This will be my first time to be someplace cold during the winter since the age of 5. I'm concerned I may have become too Southernized (if that is possible). I think there is even this white stuff called snow on the ground up there.

Tonight, I will go out, hunting for the perfect thank you gifts for the Hometeam Huddle fundraising drive for Habitat. Be on the watch for pictures tomorrow!