I know. It will be strong voices from men like you that other men and boys will listen to, thankfully. I don’t know how much impact the words of a woman would have on the male population in general but I do know that in my home, where I have 3 sons and 1 daughter, I have a duty to make sure they go into the world with all of the knowledge needed to succeed alongside others. Not by stepping on or violating others in any manner to achieve their own selfish desires.

Some people I know are shocked by the candidness with which I choose to raise my children. I don’t care what they think because I know my children are going into the world more aware than most. I can’t understand why some feel embarrassed to speak to their children about these topics. I don’t see how it does children any service to send them into the world totally clueless, trying to figure out everything by trial and error when many of those errors can ruin their lives or the lives of others. My sons are taught to respect all boundaries, male and female. I also teach them specifically about consent, not in the contractual make sure you get in writing sense, but I am very open with them about subtle and not so subtle things that women say or do as well as the opposite spectrum..the games that girls play, because we do that too. I am honestly more worried about making sure my daughter has the knowledge and wisdom to go into the world knowing what she wants and accepting only that and having the respect for herself to know her value and worth. I don’t want her to ever believe she needs validation from another. That is a dangerous trail to walk.

I take my daughter with me on walks just to teach her how to be truly aware of your surroundings. She will be 13 in a month. I am not trying to scare her. I don’t presume to tell her that just because she is more developed than her friends, like I was, that she is at greater risk for being targeted. I honestly don’t believe that garbage. I believe rape is a crime of opportunity. If a rapist is looking for an opportunity and it is presented to him, he will take it regardless of the clothes a girl is wearing or how voluptuous her breasts are. If the opportunity presents itself, a rapist will victimize someone they know. I want my daughter to know all of these things. But I also teach her that her true power from all this knowledge is AWARENESS not FEAR. The majority of men are not to be feared, awareness may be one factor to help her see the difference. As you can see, this topic rather brings out the warrior in me. ☺