Complicated Femininity

I must admit; I was a bit proud of my daughter when she shunned dollies and picked up her brother's plastic cordless drill instead.
I was cheering wordlessly, "You GO girl!" when she insisted on playing trains, getting dirty outside, and wearing a little baseball cap with her sparkly jeans and Pooh Bear shoes.
That's. My. Girl.
And then, yesterday, she wanted a doll that we saw at the store. It was a FANCY doll. A doll that cries, has a bottle, gives kisses, and sucks a binky.
Addison wanted it.
I bought it.
End of story...

And then I went back for the little stroller.

And today we walked through the mall - ALL through the mall - so she could push her baby, stop and feed her baby from the little fake bottle she has tucked in her pocket, and tell random strangers, "I WUV baby."
She was a hit.
This kid can make people smile.

And you know what?

It's really kind of flattering. I mean - where in the world did she learn to be such a great mother, huh? :)

And I realize now that it's not the DOLLS I was worried about at all. It was the possibility of my daughter being shoved in a box, tied down by societal expectations, or tethered by sexist limitations.

Hear Her Roar.

I was raised to think myself capable, accountable, powerful, and complete. I would submit to God, follow God, and serve God.

And everyone else would get the deference they deserved.

It's hard to make a bright difference in this world if you do it from under a bushel, or a cloak of feminine submission, ehh?

I'm charmed by my daughter's obvious and early signs of being a Nurturer AND a Tom Boy. To me, she is showing all indications of going down the right feminine path.

And to me, THAT is something worth encouraging.