Having grown up in a family of 6 boys puts one at a distinct disadvantage for residing with females!  In my childhood home subtly did not exist, things were dealt with forthwith with little drama.  Force of will and extreme retribution promoted balance and justice, tempered with mercy was the order of the day.  My mother was a sweet Southern lady cast into the fiery pit of 6 microcosms of testosterone!  A Spartan existence by any standard!  We moved often, trailing fresh stands of timber, being the “new boy” was, lets say, exciting.  The bullies were always just down the hall or lurking near one’s seat on the school bus.  My dad’s advice on bullies, “hit him in the mouth as hard as you can, take your whooping and he won’t come back for more!”  It worked a couple of times but the pleasure did not seem to be worth the pain with this method.  I developed the “make them laugh and maybe they won’t attack you” method, it worked in some cases but was not completely fail safe.  Growing up in my era, one just expected a certain amount fat lips, bloody noses and kow towing to larger, meaner boys.  We adapted and prospered, guided by our genteel mother and our loving father who personified the code of the South, arguably the most violent culture in America. 

Mama tried to guide us in the path of righteousness but we just did not get enough information on females. 

Fast forward to September 1^st, 1968, I married the sweetest, most beautiful girl in the world.  We had “known each other for about 4 years, casually one might say for about 3 of those years, I had gotten the hint of mystery within that entity sometimes labeled, “the female enigma.”  I was shaken to discover quickly that I was adrift in a Cryptic sea, awash in an environment of a wonderful person who made great efforts to understand and please me with out any prompting and with out regard to her well being! How could this be, again, I had no clue, she suffered, I languished.  In 1973 our son was born and I had the privilege of parenthood placed Right Square on my plate, our life was changed profoundly forever.  3 years later we were doubly blessed by the birth of our daughter. 

My daughter and my wife have turned on my light in many ways, the double shot of estrogen in our home evened up the odds and I am slowly, since 1976, absorbing the richness of life with females.  I have learned, to my surprise, that brilliant woman is not an oxymoron and that there is hope that someday we may have a female president!  My son and my daughter have a total of five beautiful “mini-women,” who light my fire daily!  I’m a slow learner but I am trying!  We are blessed.  J  G.B.