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My daughter was born after 2 boys, so I was of course happy. I was so bored with the boys clothing section! That and the very special bond, I hoped I could forge ahead with her.
I could share with her all my experiences, woman to woman, as a shy schoolgirl, an awkward, pimply teenager, a young wife, a lost mother and hold her hand as she would hike those same steps.
But as I gazed into the pure eyes of my infant daughter, I didn’t weave any elaborate, rosy dreams about her future.
My first thoughts were actually that of anxiety. Would someone hurt her physically because she was a girl? Would a stranger or a known person or her husband ever use his power on her?
As I nursed my baby, I nursed those worrying thoughts too.
I don’t particularly like the word feminism, because it automatically implies that I am less than a man, that I have to wave a pink flag and fight for my rights. But at the same time, I would react strongly if a different set of rules were imposed on me or anyone just because of gender. So I guess that does make me an undercover feminist.
There have been moments in my life when being a woman, meant I had to settle or make decisions that didn’t coincide with exactly what I…
