Member-only story
HEALING THE PATRIARCHAL HANGOVER — PART I
Why I Lost My S*** Over a Bottle of Kids’ Robitussin
How my feminine anger kept perpetuating the very ethos I was trying to dismantle
It all started with such a simple request.
Our 6 year old was home sick, dealing with a gnarly cough. I was home with her, making sure she was staying hydrated and feeling cared for. My husband was heading out to training. Before he left, I asked him to please stop on his way home to grab a bottle of kids’ Robitussin on his way home. Easy, right?
But he said no.
Not a “let’s talk about it,” no. Not a “I have a different idea,” no. Just a flat, immovable no.
Already frazzled with worry about our sick kid, I completely lost it! I felt the kind of rage that started in my gut and exploded up out of my face, bypassing logic, decency, and any futile attempt at moderation.
I didn’t just yell. I screamed my rage, jumping up and down, shrieking like some kind of deranged primate. I had never, in my entire life, been that furious over something so small.
But the thing was, it wasn’t small. It was HUGE!
