Change that Channel

Am I the only one who watches maybe five or ten minutes of a show and then has to flip the channel because I’ve suddenly had enough?  That happened to me this morning.  Again.  I won’t tell the actual name of the show, but it involves people getting married.  I felt like I was getting “stuck on stupid” due to things people were saying about gender roles and marriage in general.

I, of course, base that last statement on my experiences with my own mate.  The TV mother-in-laws said a woman should keep romance alive, take care of the house and let her husband be the boss.  WHAT???  In a good marriage (relationship), there is no boss.  It would (ideally) be a partnership, right?  There will always be chores that one person usually does, but in real life, partners have to function as a team and do things that may not be easy.  That means two people working together to make a future.  There’s no boss, and nobody gets paid a salary.

According to the ladies on the show, my mate and I did everything all wrong!  Funny thing is, our “wrong” sure did work well!  I have no objection to what people call old-fashioned values.  I do, however, object to a warped view of marriage and what each gender “should” do.

Ladies, Pay Attention!

I have a few friends who are never alone for long after a break up.  It drives me crazy because I see my friends making the same wrong choices time after time in the romance department.  May I speak plainly?  My friends deserve better!  Some gals recognize the patterns, but they seem helpless to break the cycle of bad relationships.

I have watched one of my gal pals be lied to, yelled at and insulted.  It makes me livid!  A true loving partner would never treat his woman that way.  A real man doesn’t need to humiliate or degrade his lady to feel like a man.  A real man would rather cut off his arm than hurt the one he loves.

Someone told me just last week that women “of a certain age” were conditioned to depend on a husband and to never be alone.  They were expected to leave the parents’ home to make a home for a husband.  I’m thankful that I never absorbed that particular lesson!  I do remember my dad asking me how I expected to get a husband because I refused to take “home ec.”  I would always tell him that I didn’t need a husband in the first place.  I always had a clear picture of who I was.  As I grew older and more mature, I finally figured out who I wanted to become.  Many ladies have missed out on those important lessons.  They mistakenly believe that they are “worth less” without a man.

Ladies, you have to demand better!  People will treat you badly only if you let them.  That includes family, friends and partners.  Don’t ever sell yourself short or be with someone who purposely hurts you.  That is not love.  Women, know your own worth.  It’s better to be alone than in bad company.