Saturday, December 19, 2009

just a small boy on her bike...

I love Dar Williams' music(*) and, as a father of girls, I especially love her awareness of (perceived) gender restrictions and limitations. She's got the kind of balanced outlook that is guaranteed to drive evangelicals of all religious stripes absolutely bonkers, and I love her for that, too.

For my girls, I'd like to especially call out her song, When I Was a Boy:





"I was a kid that you would like, just a small boy on her bike
Riding topless, yeah, I never cared who saw."

I hope K&L both have a strong enough sense of themselves that they aren't swayed too greatly by the expectations (limitations) of others. What they can do is limited only by what they believe is possible. If I can give them anything as a parent, I hope I can give them a sense of self. I hope I can help them learn to think for themselves and to stand up for the things (and people) they believe in.

* Actually, Dar is my secret celebrity crush, and when I was single I used to go to her shows with friends, warning them I might not be going back home with them.

No comments: