Just My Opinion

Just my opinion, means just that, the following is just my personal opinion.  I do not intend to offend anyone or criticize anyone's parenting style.

Having said that, let me begin.

After picking Cody up from dayschool today, he and I stopped to buy gas and a couple of fountain drinks (diet cokes to be specific...he is my child you know..lol).

As he climbed back into the car and buckled himself, the thought crossed my mind that I hated to see him grow-up.  I would like to keep him little forever, that he will always be my lil' man.

As this thought crossed my mind, I realized that for me this seemed rather odd. 

I began to think about the fact that I had never wished that the girls would always be little. 

That's when it hit me.  That contrary to popular belief, a child needs both a dominant male and female in their life.

Let me explain a little further.

You see, I have always been of the more liberal belief that as long as a child had at least one loving adult at home, whether it were male or female, that child did not necessarily need both a strong male and female in their life. 

That is until today.....

Somewhere between Cody climbing into the backseat and buckling himself into his carseat it hit me. 

You see as far as the girls are concerned I do not "baby" them.  I aspire to form them into strong, confident young women.  Women that do not need a man, that can hold their own in any situation.  Women that are self-confident because of who they are on the inside not what they have or what they are on the outside.

Chris has often expressed that I am hard on the girls.  That I expect a lot of them.  Where as I often think that he lets them get by with too much, that he "babies" them.

However, it appears that the roles are reversed where Cody is concerned.  I can often be heard taking up for Cody, expressing that he is just a "baby", that he is "little".  Whereas Chris can be overheard saying that Cody is too old to act in a certain manner.  Chris does not give in to Cody as I do. 

You see it takes both the male and female viewpoints and perspectives to rear a child, whether the child be male or female. 

The dominant female figure should be there to make sure the daughters are strong and independent, while the male figure ensures the girls do get to be "princesses" every now and then.

The dominant male figure ensures that the boys grow up to be strong young men while their female counterparts make sure that little boys get to be little boys for just a little bit longer.

Now, as previously stated, this is just my opinion. 

I am well aware that many productive adults are from single parent homes, and that many homes are much happier apart than together.  However, I think it would be safe to say that somewhere, whether it be inside or outside those homes, those children who will one day become productive adults are receiving the guidance they need from both a dominant male and female figure.