Recommended Reading #63: Parenting, Pt. II
"Of little girls and liberal goals: daddies, daughters, and left-wing politics" by Hugo Schwyzer (Parenting, Politics, Sex and Culture) 5/20/09
While I find the musing of this post regarding parenting (by males particularly) and politics interesting, probably what I love most about this piece is what Hugo says about parenting itself. As related to the premise about liberal politics and men parenting daughters, I particularly and deeply appreciate his allusion to his daughter's sexuality and that she is not his to own or protect from sexuality. The myth that such is a father's (of a daughter) job has seemed to me a strong and pernicious concept that I have been continually surprised to see repeated and claimed with seemingly little understanding of the implications it espouses about gender, sexuality, and personal autonomy. Thus again, even more so than the implications of the studies Hugo cites here, it was what I interpreted as his own perspective about parenting and why his political views are and have so far remained liberal that I found captivating.
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"Sexting 101 for Mommies" by Jezebelle Jay (Parenting, Youth, Sex and Culture) 4/19/11
I find this expose about parenting and speaking with one's young children about sexuality so heartening. What I see as the levelheaded response Jezebelle gives to her son on the subject strikes me as profoundly admirable and helpful to all involved and society at large. It seems truly incredible to me to imagine how the world would shift were this to become a routine response in such situations.
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"Why I'm Taking My Sons to SlutWalk SF" by Airial Clark (Sex and Culture, Parenting) 8/5/11
I found this a powerful post on the implications of and issues around SlutWalk, and all the more so because the author was speaking of them in relation to her sons and why she wanted them to witness SlutWalk (and was thus taking them). Again, open conversation with youth about sexuality is present, which I again find so refreshing, and in this case the introduction of the complexity of cultural structures and human unconsciousness is included. I profoundly appreciate instances in which sexuality is still spoken of with appreciation and reverence amongst these complexities (rather than relegated to something scary, expendable, or to be avoided). Conscious parenting, especially on the (I have no doubt) challenging subject of sexuality, continues to be one of the most appreciated and inspirational things I know of.
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