Tag Archives: Womanist/Feminist Parenting Primer

I’m considering running a series of posts on how we live womanist/feminist parenting; a sort of kaleidoscope primer on the day-to-day living of those of us who fight, oppose, undermine, and dismantle the kyriarchy (or at least try to!) that can help answer the questions “Sure, this all sounds good, but how do you DO this?” or “How can the ideals of feminism and anti-kyriarchy really work in real life?”

This may have some overlap with bluemilk‘s What does a feminist mother look like?/10 feminist mother questions meme, and the Carnival of Feminist Parenting, but I’m looking for something a little different: an image of your day, or a snapshot of a particular moment, or the tale of a decision you made, or your “feminist family mission statement” and how you try to follow it. Something practical that shows how we really put our ideals into practice. Here are a few of my posts that sort of show what I mean, but I’m really looking for your stories, and your ways of storytelling.

I’m not looking for perfection: sometimes the best opportunities for learning or teaching come when we mess up. And don’t worry about it being “good enough” in either feminist content or writing quality — I’m not going to judge the former, and I can help with the latter. I’m just looking for a picture, big or little, of some way you try to enact womanism/feminism in your life as a parent, and raise the next generation more aware of and less enslaved by kyriarchy/patriarchy.

I’d especially like to get the perspective of parents (“regular”, step, adoptive, birth, and to-be or hoping-to-be) who are not male-partnered, white, able-bodied, middle-class, American women — though even if you are all those things don’t let that stop you from submitting.

So what do you think? Sound like a good idea?

Anyone interested, whether you know what to write or not, contact me at raisingmyboychick at gmail dot com.

Please and thank you!

ETA A couple of questions have come up. One, I don’t require anyone to identify as a “feminist parent” to participate in this, nor even especially as a “womanist” or “feminist”. Identity is up to you. What I am interested in is stories about trying to parent in line with womanist/feminist values, whether identified that way or not: striving for equal coparenting; raising children without limiting gender roles; opposing instances of sexism or racism or other facets of the kyriarchy in your children’s lives. Whether you use the words “womanist” or “feminist” or kyriarchy/patriarchy is sort of irrelevant to me (although if you don’t, I must admit I’m a little mystified why you’d be reading here!).

The other is that I do want to hear from those who are not-yet-parents: many of us have been opposing the kyriarchy in the parenting realm since we first started whispering the possibility that children might be on the horizon; or even earlier, if we have particularly obnoxious relations. I’d love to hear those stories. And all of us have been children, and had parents or parent stand-ins: perhaps you have a story about being raised by womanists/feminists, or who would never have identified as such but who nevertheless managed to ignite some important proto-feminist spark in you; or, perhaps your parents were Exhibit A in how not to raise children free of kyriarchy — those could be instructive stories as well.

And if you really just don’t have anything to share right now, sit back and enjoy the reading; but I intend for this to be an ever-evolving primer, so don’t be surprised if one day you realize there’s a story tapping on your shoulder, waiting to be shared. I’ll be here.