Category Archive

communicating

Here are some ways to help your male partner understand sexism

As a woman married to a man, I struggle with how to talk to him about sexism. It is so obvious to me in my life, something that affects my work, social, and volunteer interactions daily. Yet it can be so hard to describe to someone (ie. a man) who does not see it, live it, or seem to believe it.

I want my partner to be my ally, as well as an ally to his mother, sisters, and nieces. How can we as women, help our male partners see sexism and how it affects us every day? What are some ways to have this conversation? What has worked for you?

Mama, why are you fat?: Teaching kids about different bodies

Growing up, I was teased all the time about my weight, and it affected me profoundly. I was almost 30 before I reached a place where I could just inhabit my body without seeing it as a problem. I decided that I didn’t want to view my own skin as an enemy. And I certainly don’t want my children growing up thinking that everyone should look like people in magazines, or that we should all just be miserable with our physical bodies because they aren’t “perfect.”

We all fight this fight, and we probably all want a better world for our children to have bodies in. How do we make that happen?

How young is too young to teach kids about sexual objectification?

Recently, some situations have come up which make me, as an intersectional feminist, question how to speak to my sister, let alone my nieces, about sexual objectification. How young is too young to teach kids about sexual objectification? Beyond that, has anyone got any ideas on how to break down sexual objectification for young people to understand?

My partner’s a catch, why don’t I feel relationship satisfaction?

When I was proposed to, I questioned it before ultimately saying “yes.” When what I thought about saying was “I guess.” He is an excellent catch, so why do I not feel confident in my decision to be with him?

Is this something that happens when you get married? Does every couple experience this?

How to stay happily married while renovating

Huh? Is this really a serious issue? Unfortunately, it is. And I have been asked about it multiple times, since my wife and I have completed four separate renovations and, even though we went through some tough spells, we’re still happily married.

Here’s what we learned along the way, and what we did to remain happily married while renovating…

I will not teach my daughter how to avoid being raped

I cannot teach her this lesson for a simple reason — my daughter cannot avoid being raped, because being raped is not something the victim holds any control over. To teach her that she can avoid being raped, makes a fraction of the responsibility of being raped owned by her. My daughter owns none of this risk. Instead, will teach her this…

How do you tell your parents things they don’t want to hear?

For many reasons, including my religious and ethical beliefs, I feel I need to tell my parents that I am in a polyamorous relationship. I’ve previously come out to them as queer and trans, which feels different from this conversation. How do you, as an adult in your agency, tell your parents things they don’t want to hear?

How to communicate with your partner when you’re bad at expressing yourself

I’m bad at communication (like really, really bad). Even if I can bring up the courage to talk to someone I never know exactly what to say and I struggle to figure out how to express what I’m feeling. That’s when I started to write letters to my partner.