From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

[ednbarby]

Your MILF story reminds me of the time Ed and I went to see "Shrek," a mother and two young boys - maybe 6 and 7 - were sitting right in front of us.  After that scene where Shrek sees Prince Farquad's (which sounds suspiciously like fuckwad ) palace and says, "Do you think he's compensating for something?" and after everyone laughed, the one boy says very loudly to his Mom, "Why did all the grown-ups just laugh at that?"  She says, "I'll tell ya in about 10 years."

I think it's not so much that Will has actually seen stills of Ennis and Jack and the montage on my computer that will affect how he views homosexuality as it is that seeing this movie myself has affected the way I approach our talks about family, love, and someday not long enough from now, sex.  I think that without it, I would have said "When a man and a woman love each other very much..." whereas now I'll say, "When two people love each other very much..."  It's not about being "politically correct" (and how I hate people who bitch about that, anyway) - it's about acknowledging and teaching that there is not one right way and one wrong way to be sexually.  I've always believed this in my heart of hearts, of course, but this movie brought it to the forefront and made me passionate in that belief instead of just complacent in it.

[serious crayons]

I've always believed this in my heart of hearts, of course, but this movie brought it to the forefront and made me passionate in that belief instead of just complacent in it.

Ditto. I've always spoken up for what I thought was right when the subject came up, but now I'm probably more proactive about it.

[ednbarby]

Ditto. I've always spoken up for what I thought was right when the subject came up, but now I'm probably more proactive about it.

Exactly. 

[starboardlight]

Joke 'em if they can't take a fuck.

 

I love that.

and reading the ongoing the discussion between mothers has made me feel like like today, the world is a better place than yesterday.

[henrypie]

Katherine and Barb, thanks for your dialogue.  All I have is cats -- very socially tolerant cats -- but these are issues I think about all the time.... in case I ever have dependents more inquisitive than cats....  I tend to count my chickens before they're hatched....

[isabelle]

I totally agree that it is no longer socially acceptable to say you're racist, even here in France (although, at the moment, the trend is going backwards - but more on that another time if we ever get on that topic), and a VERY good thing too! It has taken so called "minorities" enough time and suffering to win on that issue. Although i wouldn't bet the bottom of the problem has disappeared. But I also think it should give us hope that we/gays will get there one day too. We/they gotta keep up the fight.

[isabelle]

(Aside... you know, sometimes parenting feels like trying to reinvent the wheel while blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back, and with 20 people shouting conflicting instructions at me. I never have any clue whether I'm doing the right thing or not, and most of the time I end up going by my instincts and hoping I don't screw up too badly.)

This is a pretty good description of it, exactly what I feel too!
A famous child psychoanalyst here once said; "Don't worry, whatever you do, you will NEVER be perfect parents, and a very good thing too!" (because one day, in order to progress and make their way towards the person they gotta be, they have to symbolically "kill" their parents - which they can't do if the parents are perfect!)

[serious crayons]

(Aside... you know, sometimes parenting feels like trying to reinvent the wheel while blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back, and with 20 people shouting conflicting instructions at me. I never have any clue whether I'm doing the right thing or not, and most of the time I end up going by my instincts and hoping I don't screw up too badly.)

What a perfect description of parenting! And Mel, sounds like you have chosen exactly the right strategy. My experience is, you do have to renivent the wheel, and you can't take off the bilndfold or untie your hand. But if you can get the 20 people to shut up -- or at least learn to ignore them -- you're doing well.

[ednbarby]

But if you can get the 20 people to shut up -- or at least learn to ignore them -- you're doing well.

Yeah, I'm still working on that bit.  But I'm nearly there!  (At least on the ignoring part.)

[twistedude]

ERxcept for Bob, who for some reason loves me, everyone I know, collegues, friends, relatives--thery all know that whatever I'[m talking about "The Da Vinci Code, Portrait ofr thr Artist as a Young Man, a quilting pattern, "Crash,"--they know I am really talking about brokeback Mountaiun. Every last one of them...my daughter isn't speaking to me anymore. My sonis more tolerant. he's a mocvie cdritidc, and 36 years old. he wonders how long this illness is going to last.