Dear Kid,

I assume by now you’ve heard that 2 women are graduating from Army Ranger school. And you probably know that the Army Ranger school is HARD—as in only 94 of the 381 men who started the class finished.

Army Ranger School is the Army’s premier combat leadership course, teaching Ranger students how to overcome fatigue, hunger, and stress to lead Soldiers during small unit combat operations.

Amazingly, people are still talking about how men and women are different and therefore women can’t do certain jobs in the military.

For the record, these people are twits.

I could be glib and point out the obvious: that overcoming fatigue, hunger, and stress is the definition of early motherhood, so OF COURSE women can do it. But I’m too mad to be glib.

Let’s be clear. Yes, men and women are different. Tall men are different than short men. Men who grew up in a metropolitan setting are different than those who grew up in a rural area. Men who grew up next door to each other are different.

Different isn’t bad and different isn’t the issue.

Actually different is good, but it still isn’t the issue.

The issue is: Can a person perform a given role and is the role correctly defined for current situations?

There’s been a lot of talk about whether the ability to carry heavy equipment should really be a requirement for being an elite combatant given the type of enemies we’re fighting these days.

Not being a military expert, I have no idea. But it’s a question worth considering.

There should be talk about whether doing it “the way it’s been done before” is the best way.

For the moment, these two women have proven they can do what the men can do, the way the men do it. And they should be given all the opportunities men who accomplished the same thing are being given.

To those women we say Brava! And Congratulations.

You go, Ladies.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

November 30^th is just One of Those Days, historically speaking. More to the point, it is not a day we look back at and think “that was a great day for women.”

According to my research (which involved drinking a diet coke and eating some pumpkin muffins), the problems began with Joe Neanderthal. Poor Joe got caught up watching football games and left Mrs. Neanderthal with all the housework and their passel of children (I’ve been looking for a way to use the word passel—I win!). Mrs. N. did not appreciate this division of labor, and whacked Joe on the head with a handy rock. Fortunately for Joe, he had a very thick head and hardly noticed the whack. Unfortunately, since he hardly noticed the whack, he didn’t change his behavior and ended up sleeping outside the cave for a week.

Moving on to slightly more documented activities.

On November 30, 1886, the Folies Bergère introduced a new format featuring women in elaborate costumes made from 1 square inch of fabric. Over the next few years, most of the costume budget was funneled into elaborate sets. Actually, the costumes were incredibly expensive, incredibly elaborate constructions that covered exactly nothing. The whole movement did nothing for women’s rights or respect for women.

On November 20, 1954, Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges was minding her own business, enjoying a nap in her living room (for the record, I applaud the idea of a nap), when a meteorite crashed through the roof of her house in Sylacauga, AL, bounced off a radio, and ricocheted into her hip. Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges did not consider this an ideal way to wake up from a nap (for the record, I wouldn’t either). The meteorite was 8.5 pounds and was 7 inches in length. Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges gave the meteorite a good talking to (that’s how they do things in Sylacauga), and called the authorities to deal with the rock and tend to her bruise. You’ll be glad to know that Mrs. Hodges was not permanently injured, but she did suffer an excessive fear of falling rocks for the rest of her life.

On November 30, 1989, America was introduced to its “first female serial killer.” To its credit, America attempted to decline the opportunity for said introduction, but Aileen Wuomos rather forced the issue. Aileen wasn’t in fact the first female serial killer in the country, but she became dang famous and the name stuck.

The short version is that Aileen had a terrible life, progressed from drunk driving to assault to armed robbery to murder, and was eventually caught. She was sentenced to death for having killed at least 7 men. Aileen claimed she was innocent and that all the killings were in self-defense.

Personally, I plan to try to reverse the female misfortunes of November 30^th by baking cookies (and perhaps taking a nap). Here’s to a reversal of fortune.

It’s been great having you home for the last few days, kiddo. Have a great end to the semester and we’ll see you in a few weeks.

Love, Mom

Women are confusing. –Any man, any age

Dear Kid,

Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacity…

If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior…

If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with women…

Mahatma Ghandi

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day.

“What?” you ask, “We need one of those? Around here, women are pretty much in charge.”

Yes, and yes.

In our family, women are pretty much in charge (and it seems to be working out pretty well) and you have been well taught to respect and appreciate that.

However, in many parts of the world, and in many parts of the US, this is far from true. Which is ridiculous and awful and costing the world a fortune in brains and bodies, but there you are.

The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911 which proves that even when many of us are trying, evolution is slow. In 1975, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th which continues to be the accepted Day.

This year’s official International Women’s Day theme is Inspiring Change.

Some people inspire change in a big way (Mahatma Ghandi, Malala Yousafzai); some inspire change on a much smaller scale (elementary school teacher Mrs. Zellner).

In fact, most people have the ability to inspire change. Hopefully, we inspire good change in people.

What kind of inspiration do you want to be to the women (and the men) in your life?

Love, Mom