I grew up in a household where my femininity was celebrated along with my intelligence and independence. I had the most wonderful and devoted of fathers, a fiercely independent mother (about whom my father remarked on their 25th Anniversary, “Faye, I can honestly say in 25 years, I've often felt like murder, but I've never been bored.” He encouraged us to be all we could, do whatever we set our minds to and was truly (and I think this is important) PROUD of us.
My father's mother was born blind. He watched her navigate life with no resources (the blind were homebound or institutionalized). He watched her bravely face whatever life handed her and realized that the strengths women have are boundless for a truly devoted husband and child.
It's not that we want to be better or more successful than men, but we don't want to be told we are less than they. We are equal BUT different. I celebrate the masculine (really enjoy it on all levels), but I despise extremes on either end. Women complete men, and men complete women.
Your response really touched me. The story of your grandmother tugs at my heart, but inspires me to no end! I think that I wasn’t truly happy in the business world because there was something missing, I never knew what until I saw my baby’s face for the forst time. He needed me, and it turns out...I needed him too.