The gender pendulum seems to have swung from the cliche of helpless, airhead girly-girl to hapless, hair-brained man child. Most likely, because mom is the one who controls the household purse strings.
Hotdog Commercial Tagline: "Men, easier fed than understood"Of course, I'm dying to share ways that George does fit this stereotype. The most priceless one being that George was shocked to learn that the sun comes up earlier depending on the time of the year! Before Claire was born, his bachelor self hadn't been up in time (I'm rather jealous, really). Or that he had to check with me to make sure that he had the right date for Valentine's Day. And, yes, I've taught him what Cream of Tartar is and how to pick out a bunch of asparagus.
But these things certainly don't make him inept, and they don't show the complexity of our relationship. He also makes a mean Marinara sauce. And, while he does a manly man's job of taking care of the electronics in our home, I'm the one who brought a power drill to the marriage as part of my dowry (no, I didn't really have a dowry).
Our marriage is a partnership. We strive to work together as equals, while contributing based on our strengths. Some of our strong points may conform to gender stereotypes, while others may not.
I think that this picture is both truer to reality, and the way I want Claire to see men, women and relationships in her life. Also, there's a payoff for me. If George is constantly portrayed as the incompetent one, I'll have to do most of the work. And I certainly don't want to do most of the work!
I'm thankful that my husband does as much as he does for our family.
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