We could live in happier times?

 In recent conversations with my sisters and friends I have been struck by how

many of us are living in a constant state of questioning. Constant questioning

could also be labelled anxiety. 

 

And what are we anxious about? 

 

Our mothering: 

we learned from our own childhoods that we wanted to be better parents to our

children. We were going to be more loving, kinder, more supportive and

encouraging, realistic without being cruel. 

 

We were going to play with our kids, attend their school functions, be creative with them, do fun things like camping

and fishing and finding new places to explore. 

 

Our intentions were good yet our knowledge of how to enact our intentions was light on. 

So we made half-arsed decisions that we regretted almost immediately. 

We were too scared, meek, docile, uncertain to ask for a renegotiation, make a new plan, to disagree, to become the "good" parent we wanted to be. 

 

Ourselves:

 

 the questions were constant

·      am I good enough 

·      am I lazy 

·      am I pretty 

·      am I intelligent enough 

·      am I too bossy 

·      am I too fat 

·      am I enough????? 

 

The list could be endless as each of us have different aspects of ourselves we are anxious about.

 

All of this reflection on and questioning of ourselves in our role as mothers led me to ask could we live in happier times?  

 

I think we could because I see, hear and feel the fear in the world. 

 

§  Endless, senseless warring over territory, religion, ownership has left it's  imprint on the psyche of the world. 

§  We Are Right cry the combatants, yet we can see by the tactics used who is most intent on being dominant. 

§  In the current battles it is clear that the rights of women and children are ignored in both physical and ideological battles.  

 

In war, women and children are unsafe as men get swept up in the brutality, the all-encompassing group fervour to destroy. 

 

There is war in the domestic sphere, where men try to maintain the beliefs of their fore-bears which are:

·      women and children are property 

·      women need to be controlled

·      women should be grateful 

·      women and children should be obedient

 

The prevailing ideological battle is that of gender identity ideology.  

The proponents of this ideology minimise and/or deny how intrinsic women's biology is to their lived experiences.  

The violence aimed at those who do understand and unwaveringly stand for this truth, makes this a warzone. 

 

With the current level of warring across the world there is little wonder so many women are living in a constant state of questioning, a constant state of anxiety and reflection. 

 

Reflecting on my life, I know I have lived in happier times.  I have lived in a time when the very essence of womanhood was not being questioned.  I have lived in a time when children were encouraged to explore and love who they are and it was recognised we humans grow into acceptance of ourselves, it's part of the maturation process. 

I have lived in a time when we believed peace was possible and war was a futile waste of human life. 

I lived through a time when we worked for inclusion that was fair & just.

 

We could live in happier times.  Yes?  No?