As a woman, I view the world through a female lens. I wanted to learn about the male perspective, and especially the perspective of a father, so I recently sat down with a friend of mine as he shared his experience raising his young daughter. Drew is the single father of a three-year-old daughter and opened up about his experience raising his daughter in the era of #MeToo.
Can you describe the experience of raising a daughter as a single father?
It’s the coolest relationship I’ve ever been a part of. In the morning, I wake up and I get to hang out with my best friend. I get to play and see her grow. I get to experience seeing her receive joy out of things that I never experienced as a child. Even the most mundane things with her are special, like going to get doughnuts every Sunday.
Do you have concerns about raising a daughter in today’s society?
Yes and no. I do worry about the ability for her to have true partnerships because I feel that the current atmosphere is so individualized that people are less likely to value their relationships with others. But I’m also confident in her future because I feel like there is more potential for my daughter than there has ever been for women.
How do you view modern courtship?
I feel like there is a lot of dancing by men to do it in the correct manner now, and men need to be educated to court in a way that is neither belittling nor sexist. They need to understand how to treat the other person as a true equal. For my daughter, I want for her to feel confident in demanding equality from anyone courting her. I want for her to feel confident that her career won’t be placed on the back burner without her consent, and that her wants and desires will not be manipulated in order to appease the desires of the other person.
How do you view #MeToo as the father of a daughter?
I am happy that it is happening while she is still a child because I hope that by the time she has grown into young adulthood, we have had a chance as a society to work out the issues men have with objectifying women. I hope that by the time my daughter is of a mature age, the percentage of men that view her as an object is insignificant.
Do you think that the #MeToo movement is lacking in any way?
I think that it has allowed itself to become a punchline too quickly. It has become a quip before there is a unified message and people really understood what the movement stands for. I hope that #MeToo will gain a strong following under a unified message of women being treated as equals and not being expected to do anything to earn their place that a man would not be asked to do. That is my hope for my daughter and all women.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo: Shutterstock
These questions depend on how a person sees #metoo, what it has developed into, and how its used. Some might say it’s used as a bludgeon men for women who maybe victims of their own choice or used to discount any responsibility and agency a woman may have when in social interactions, especially between the sexes.