A woman can be anything the man who loves her would have her be. ~James M. Barrie
At first when I read this quote, my feminist side began to make posters and plan demonstrations. Then I reread it and my interpretation of the meaning changed.
I am very fortunate to be married to the best partner I could have. He is the yin to my yang. After retiring, we found even more that we enjoyed about each other. When we go on a road trip, we don’t play music or podcasts, or audiobooks, we just talk. After all these years, we still find a lot to talk about.
We worry for our children about who they will find and how they will be treated. Both of our children had some cringe-worthy connections that my husband and I tried very hard to like. Thankfully however, they have found spouses that seem to be their other half. My son’s wife is the order to his chaos. He is the calm spot in her life storms. Okay, a bit flowery but the idea is there. They complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
The same can be said for my daughter and her husband. My husband was a stay-at-home dad in the 80’s. (That is a subject for another post.) He was home with our daughter until she entered school. In those moments when he was frustrated with her, I told him that how he treated her was how she would expect to be treated by men when she grew up. He replied with a grin that she had all the qualities he wanted her to have when she grew up … just not then with him. As we spend more time with my daughter and her spouse, we are convinced they are good for each other.
Letters to a Caterpillar 