Bible Verse - Come To Me

Matthew 11:28-30 () 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. #Bible http://j.mp/1ae1FUF

Today's Bible Verse

Romans 12:2 () 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. #Bible http://j.mp/1cUGbz2

Today's Verse from the Bible - I really like this one!

Romans 12:10 () 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. #Bible http://j.mp/1cUGdHa

Bible Verse For The Day

John 10:27-30 () 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one. #Bible http://j.mp/1cUGaev

Today's Bible Quote

Jeremiah 29:11 () 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. #Bible http://j.mp/r2uhjC

Today From The Bible

Isaiah 61:1 () 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,because the Lord has anointed meto bring good news to the poor;he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives,and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. . . . #Bible http://j.mp/1cUG6eC

Bible Quote For Today

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 () 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. #Bible http://j.mp/14Z0MO7

Bible Quote For The Day

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 () 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. #Bible http://j.mp/ioD1LS

Bible Quote For The Day

Colossians 3:9-10 () 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. #Bible http://j.mp/1cUG3Q6

Hiatus

I am taking a short hiatus from this blog.  I have a situation this week that will require my full attention.  I apologize for any inconvenience.  I will resume normal blogging next week.  Thank you.

Men Don't Listen

I was told today that men don't listen.  You can tell a man something, and he just doesn't listen to you.  Then he gets the idea and takes credit for it as if you never told him.  Is that really true?  I know it's one of those stereotypes that you hear from women.  But is it based in fact?  I want to guess that the perception of that being true is probably highly dependent on the observer's gender!

Gender Melting Pot

Are the traditional roles of fathers and mothers really changing?  I've seen some indications that today's fathers are more involved in domestic responsibilities.  They also seem to be more in tune with their families in all areas, including in more stereotypically female ways, like with the area of emotions.  Females have always been the ones considered to be more involved with emotions, and with caring and sharing.  Lately I have seen indications that males are starting to adopt some of those characteristics.  Conversely, it seems that women are starting to take on some of the more predominantly male traits, stereotypical though they may be.  Could it be that when women pushed out into the work force, they started to adopt stereotypical behaviors of male mentors?  And with men who have become a more integral part of the home and family in conjunction with their female partners, could it be that these men have started to adopt more traditionally female mannerisms from their female mentors?  Are the roles of men and women starting to overlap so much that the distinctions between them are disappearing?  Are we becoming a gender melting pot?

Funeral Mass held for legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh | Sports - WTAE Home

Funeral Mass held for legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh | Sports - WTAE Home

No Rest For The Weary

My friend shared a story with me today.  Her ex-husband was complaining about their son.  The ex was upset because their son didn't speak up about some complaints the son had himself about his father.  The son chose instead to hold his feelings inside, and then he finally spoke up when his anger finally built up and overloaded.  So the father was telling his ex-wife, the mother, about this situation, seemingly trying to gain support and/or sympathy from the child's mother.  First of all, who would ever expect a mother to support anyone else but her child?  So you're definitely not going to gain any ground there.  And secondly, have you ever heard of the TWO-way street in communication?  The father was apparently complaining about the son's being upset on a day that was special for the father.  It reminded me of what big babies some men can be about their special days.  You can't let a birthday or Father's Day go by without giving some men extreme attention.  And on the other side, I just heard from several mothers today, that no one expects moms to stop cooking or to stop doing the things they do every day, even on their birthdays and Mother's Day.  So why should fathers expect special treatment on their birthdays and Father's Day?

Some Interesting Statistics From The White House About Dads

This information is from The White House about dads and families today versus the past.  You can find this information at WH.gov/working-dads, or with this link:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/working-fathers?utm_expid=24505866-31.3alhGCtDR3KFcp1BlIBR2w.1

I find it very interesting.  The statistics say that, "Today, more than 1 in 5 kids under 5 with a working mom has his or her DAD AS A PRIMARY CAREGIVER, many of whom also work full-time themselves."  But it also says that, "Dads are doing nearly an hour more childcare and housework a day than in 1965."  That doesn't sound like dads are doing much more domestic work than they did before, so I'm thinking that statistic seems like it isn't correct.  Of course it doesn't tell you how many hours dads were putting in back in 1965.  My friend used to joke that her husband seemed to feel that he did his "half" of the work with their child when he changed 1 diaper that day.  And that was 15-20 years ago.  Back in 1965, I'm guessing not many dads changed any diapers.  And now almost 50 years later, they've only added an hour of work a day?  If true, then they may not be doing that much childcare and housework at all.  It seems that there are a lot of dads out there who might strongly disagree with that statistic (of course there may also be moms out there who disagree in the other direction!)  Anyone who wants to comment on what they think?

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!!!

Cover Girl Dads

I saw an ad from Cover Girl today.  It showed several dads talking about their daughters of various ages.  The dads were obviously proud of their girls, and rightly so.  At the end, Cover Girl thanked the dads for being great advocates for their girls, and finished by wishing them a Happy Father's Day.  Well there's that father/daughter connection again!  But it was really great to hear all of the accolades these fathers attributed to their daughters.  Their comments were very positive and supportive.  It reminded me that today's fathers are different from fathers in past generations (nothing at all against fathers from previous generations; times were different then).  It was very apparent that none of these fathers were upholding outdated, traditional, stereotypical ideals for their daughters.  They were advocating strength and independence.  Perhaps differences in genders and gender roles are not so pronounced as I thought they still were.  It was great to see such a positive expression of fathers' pride in their daughters.

Fathers and Daughters, Mothers and Sons

I have always found it interesting to see the special bond that seems to exist between fathers and daughters and between mothers and sons.  This is not at all to say that there is not a special bond the other way.  But there does seem to be something about those opposite gender connections in families.  I have had the luxury of interacting with a lot of parents and their children, and there does seem to be something to this.  It makes me wonder why that tendency seems to be there.  Is it simply an "opposites attract" kind of thing, with opposite genders?  And if so, how does this work in homosexually-based families?  I find this sort of thing very intriguing.  I have no experience with those types of relationships, so I really cannot say anything from that perspective.  But for heterosexually-based families, I have noticed what seems to be a tendency for this cross-gender type of connection.  Fathers seem to be very protective of their daughters.  Mothers tend to be very supportive of their sons.  And vice verse on both.  We used to joke about how the only son in my family, the baby brother, was our mom's favorite.  He could do no wrong.  We've seen other instances where the daughter is the father's favorite, because he seems to pay more attention to her than the others.  It does almost seem like a protectiveness.  And it also seems like the will of the parent is sometimes bent when it comes to that child.  The things a daughter can get away with when it comes to her father...It's like the child says, "I want to do this", and the opposite gender parent says, "oh okay, anything you want".  But when the child of the same gender asks, the parent says, "not so fast!"  Yes it seems that sons have their mothers wrapped around their little fingers, as daughters have their fathers.  I would love to hear comments that include any stories anyone would like to share about this subject!

Are Fat Men More Socially Acceptable Than Fat Women?

I'm starting to feel like it is socially acceptable for a man to be fat, but not a woman.  You hear comments like, "he's a big boy" about fat men.  But you hear something different about fat women.  You hear things like, "she really let herself go", or "she'd be really pretty if she lost some weight".  Are we okay with men being fat, but have something against a woman being fat?  After all, women are supposed to be beautiful, right?  And being fat isn't seen as being beautiful.  I wonder if there are gender differences in what is acceptable in terms of being overweight or obese.  Have you had any experiences with this?

The Divorce of Lady X

I've been into watching some old movies lately, and tonight I happened to watch "The Divorce of Lady X", starring the late Lord Lawrence Olivier.  Differences between men and women are commented on often in this movie.  I just heard Olivier's character rant about how women want equality but they don't want the responsibilities that go along with that.  Of course this movie was made in I believe 1938, and certainly a lot has changed since then.  But it is very interesting to get a sense of how gender differences are viewed at different times.  And certainly I think we can say that women have taken on many responsibilities in spite of their failure to achieve true equality with men, at least in terms of salary and career opportunities.  I expect to see that change over time as more and more women continue to fill the work force.  Many of those women also find a way to be a great mom at home in addition to being successful in a career outside the home.  Now more than ever, women have it altogether.  Hopefully someday all of society will recognize and accept that women truly are already equal to men.

Man vs Man, Woman vs Man, Woman vs Woman

I have a lot of interest in human relations.  We have a lot of stereotypes about "most men" being like this, and "most women" being like that.  Certainly these characteristics cannot describe every man or every woman since everyone is so different.  I think it is so fascinating how different people can be, how genetics and environment shape us.  We are each so individualized, so unique.  And in spite of this, it seems that there are some strong generalizations (stereotypes) that sometimes seem to apply to the majority.  But what impact is made from other factors?  Most notably, I have a very big interest in determining some generalized roles in homosexual couples.  I am not saying that I want to create stereotypes or that I want to classify any type of person into any sort of rigid code.  Having grown up in heterosexual relationships both inside and outside of my family, I can certainly use my experience to come to some general conclusions about how men and women work together, the roles they assume with each other and in a family and in society.  But since I have not really had any experience with homosexual relationships, I do not have the same understanding that I have with heterosexual relationships.  I do know some couples who are homosexual, but I am not close enough friends with them to be able to make any kind of general observations or to come to any kinds of conclusions.  Of course you can't really come to any kind of good and reliable conclusions based on the observations of only one or two couples anyway.  But I am interested in knowing how (or if) the roles of man/woman or male/female apply in a homosexual relationship the way they do in heterosexual one.  There are particular traits or characteristics that we tend to associate with the male figure in a relationship, and with the female figure in the relationship.  What happens when there is no male in the relationship, or when there is no female?  Does one of the females take on the role of the male in the relationship she has with another woman?  Or is this a completely different type of relationship, one that does not have the traditional roles that we see with heterosexual couples?  I think, based only on things I've heard but not directly observed, that there tends to be a male/female component even in homosexual relationships.  I have often heard others describe this as, "she's the one (of the two females) that wears the pants (i.e. is the male figure)", etc.  If that is true, if humans adopt a male/female role even in a male/male or female/female relationship, isn't that interesting?  It makes you wonder what the purpose of that would be.  If you are a female attracted to a female, why would you need a male-based role model in that relationship?  It seems that perhaps it is our view of these things as "male" and "female" when they are not truly "male" and "female".  It seems that we would have to realign our thinking away from the gender stereotypes that have been drummed into our heads ad infinitum.  It suggests that we would need to look at tasks and behaviors in a way that is not linked to gender.

I hope I have not offended anyone with my open speculation about this.  I am honestly interested in this and certainly did not intend to upset anyone.  And I certainly welcome any comments about how you feel about this subject, and any other subject discussed here!

Chick Flick vs Man Movie

My son and I were discussing movies today.  My son wanted to have my mother watch the movie, thinking she would enjoy it since it was in part filmed in her hometown.  I thought she probably wouldn't want to watch the whole thing.  My son wondered why not.  I explained that it wasn't a chick flick.  That got me to thinking.  Why was I assuming that she wouldn't like the movie just because she is a woman?  And why am I even encouraging that type of thinking with my son?  Do you ever catch yourself applying a gender stereotype like I did?

Cat Woman

I watched "The Dark Knight Rises" with my son again today.  I was thinking that the Cat Woman in that movie was rather unrealistic.  Of course it is a superhero movie, so how realistic is the movie anyway?  But to see this young, thin little thing high-kicking and slamming grown men all over the place just seemed over the top.  So is it my bias toward an antiquated stereotype that makes it impossible for me to believe that a woman can overpower a man?

Beauty is the Least

I loved that Disney princesses cartoon that I posted yesterday.  It is so true.  What is the message to young girls?  Your physical attractiveness is what defines you, it is what makes you strong?  You would think that the princesses would have evolved into something more modern . . . someone who is a strong woman, one who is self-assured and independent, one who doesn't have to get the guy to be happy.  I always sort of felt that "Belle" of Beauty and the Beast seemed to be more that way, independent and self-assured.  But it seems when it gets right down to it, the role models for girls do seem to send the message that it is beauty that is favored and all that matters.  It looks like very little has changed, at least with Disney princesses.  Beauty is appealing of course, but it is truly the least important thing about a person, unless you are talking about internal beauty.  We like external beauty so much though, we are apparently willing to push aside any thoughts of internal beauty.  As long as the princess is physically beautiful, what more do you need?

Great Cartoon from gender320.blogspot.com/2011/11/disney-stereotypes-for-villains

http://gender320.blogspot.com/2011/11/disney-stereotypes-for-villains.html

Who's In Charge?

Okay, so again I was talking with my mom, and we were talking about another one of those stereotypical gender roles, where the woman is responsible for taking care of the man.  So the man isn't taking care of himself, and it's the woman who is expected to be taking care of the man for him.  So for instance, say this man is supposed to be eating healthier and losing weight.  The woman has made every effort to help the man accomplish these things.  But the man really just doesn't want to be bothered.  He'd rather eat his sweets.  The doctor tells the woman that the man really needs to lose weight, as if it is her responsibility to take care of this.  The woman tells the doctor he's preaching to the choir.  She tells him that she has tried many ways to help the man, but nothing is working.  And she points out that she also needs to eat healthy and lose weight, but you don't see the man helping her to do that for herself.  So why is she expected to help him do it for himself?  It's so true.  Men aren't babies, they are responsible for their own actions and their own lives.  Do women feel the need to baby men and take care of them?  Are men used to having women take care of them, so they don't bother to do it themselves?  It really makes you wonder.

RIP Ann B Davis

So sorry to hear of the passing of Ann B Davis, best known as Alice in "The Brady Bunch".  I always enjoyed her in that show.  She seemed like a great lady.  I hope she rests in peace.  My condolences to all her loved ones.

After Changes Upon Changes

My mother and I were discussing how men still seem to set the lead in terms of what happens with the relationship and the family.  For all the changes that have occurred, we are still basically the same in that the women will usually defer to the men, at least in terms of where to live.  It reminded me of a line from an old Simon and Garfunkel song that says, "after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same".  Such a great line, it is so true.