My opinions on relationships with women are based on my experience. I grew up in a very small place, went to very small elementary and highschools and unfortunately a bunch of the girls I was exposed to were nasty. The bullies I ran into on the playground were girls, long before sex and sexuality entered the playing field. Am I now absolutely judgemental about women? Not at all. I now have and maintain very close friendships with many women, I just don't like the drama associated with what appears to be, in my opinion and based on my experience, a lot of women. Ask around, I bet I'm not the only one who thinks so. That being said, I also believe in a very deep sisterhood. My entire family is mostly women, and we are very close and multigenerational ... sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, great aunts, grand-daughters, daughters ...
The flip side is that I also enjoy friendships with men in general, but not necessarily all men. I am not 100% non-judgemental about the attention of men. Trust me, I am more than knowledgeable about the potential motivations and intentions of many men. All too familiar in fact.
Ya gotta love the judgement that gets attached to a woman who can interact in a man's world, if she chooses to do so in an open playful way. Nobody judges the men ... oh, no ... they're just having fun ... gimme a break. And "the kind of men that attracts"? I'm talking friendships ... banter, fun ... not attracting someone ... see, I do believe that men and women can be friends. But if we're talking attraction, I would expect that it would attract men who enjoy women who are relaxed and can have fun without the drama.
Did you hit a nerve? Yep. But not for the reasons you might have expected. I am VERY conscious of what I am passing on to my daughter. You have no idea. I am also aware of the fact that unfortunately many parents do not always think through the potential ramifications of their actions/behaviours on their kids. I am NOT one of those parents.
What I am passing on to my daughter is a confidence that she is OK just the way she is, and that she can choose her friends from either gender pool. She should choose her friends based on their personalities, commonalities, values, interests, etc. I will teach her to open to everyone, yet aware of the motives and expectations of those around her.
PEI
This all sounds perfectly healthy, and very self-aware, to me.
