DADvocate

Raising children poses many challenges. With two boys, I make special efforts to assure they don't bully, fight, etc. But the greatest challenge I've faced in this realm is teaching my youngest daughter not to hit.

As a youngster, I often heard that boys don't hit girls but girls can hit boys. My daughter recites the same beatitude. Any time one of her brothers makes the typically teasing brotherly remark, she quickly tried to punch or backhand them.

Many women don't seem to grow out of this. The other day, while I cut the tops off strawberries, a female co-worker began to instruct me on how I should be cutting the tops. I told her the only thing I was worried about was my ear drums wearing out. Smack on the shoulder.

Frequently, a group at work plays cards during the lunch hour. One female in the group often slaps any man sitting next to her if he beats her in a hand or makes a quip she doesn't like. While most women at my work keep their hands to themselves, during the over seven years I've worked there a male has never hit, slapped, smacked me in any manner.

DrHelen posted Sunday about a confrontation in a bar between a man and a woman and the woman's husband's reaction to it. Her posted a tribute to the event on his blog with picture and all.

Later, apparently fearing he has portrayed his wife as a maneater, he posted again featuring a picture of his wife serving a scrumptious looking turkey dinner. Is that sexist?

As is noted by Vox Day and acknowledged by the husband, it's all "a bit silly". Essentially the story involved a confrontation between a woman and a drunk man or maybe a drunk woman and a drunk man. But the comments at DrHelen fascinated me, lots of anger and hostility. I enjoyed baiting one commenter.

I do wish people would work as hard at teaching females not to hit as males.