Monday, March 8, 2010

Happy International Women's Day - Caution: This is Sappy

The other day my daughter found a stash of perfume bottles she hid at the back of my closet in a pink satin bag. I don't know how long they've been there but I do remember buying them almost 10 years ago. I found them at a ticky-tacky-tourist shop in Prague. We were there on our honeymoon.



They're Chezch glass. I bought a whole mess of them. And like I told my daughter, I loved them because they reminded me of something I would have treasured when I was a little girl who loved fancy things. And these are fancy. They have rhinestones AND bows AND gold AND they would totally break if you dropped them AND you could so put a love potion in them. And when I bought them I made a secret wish that one day I'd have a little daughter who would see them on my dresser and find them wonderful and fancy too and who would long to play with them.

"And that wish came true!" I told my daughter. "Because of you!"

Her face got very bright and then very shy and then very thoughtful. And after she played with them a little more she said, "Mommy, when I grow up I'll have lots of daughters so that they can have baby daughters and be your granddaughters. Would you like that?"

And I said that I really would. And my ovaries made a happy, squealing, girlish sound like corn popping out of the blow-holes of dolphins.

Then she insisted I dress her and her little sister in matching pink shirts and that I photograph them with the bottles. Okay.

                             
Then I checked my calendar and noticed that Lo, it is International Women's Day!  And when I told my daughter she said, "Mommy -- You are a woman and I am a girl so let's celebrate!"



And I said, "I think we maybe already have."

And she said, "But we didn't decorate eggs so that they look like ducks yet."

True story.

I would just like to say, I am so freaking happy that I have daughters.

I love their girl bodies. I love that they will become women and maybe mothers.

And that's the way it should be.

It makes me so sad to think that in some parts of the world women dread having baby girls because they know they're just destined for pain and misery.

So. I decided to donate 25 bucks to my favourite charity today which is Plan Canada.


 

I purchased one of their Gifts of Hope. I picked the one where they'll put my money towards supplying women in the developing world with home birthing kits. We're not talking lavender essential oil and Enya CD's.  We're talking sterilized instruments, gloves, antiseptic and fresh towels.



Happy International Women's Day!

With Love,
Betsy

5 comments:

  1. Yay! I love that post, I truly do. It's fun to be a girl!

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  2. That sounds like an excellent way to commemorate International Women's Day. And I share your happiness at living in a country where we do not need to fear for our daughters.

    Also? I think that we should celebrate all special occasions by decorating eggs so that they look like ducks. Because that is just made of awesome.

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  3. You rock Betsy! Now I feel like a scumbag because I did nothing to commemorate that day. Honestly I think it's because I get this "It's Women's Day today" forwarded email every month so I never really trust anyone now who says "It's Women's Day today!" I'm like, yeah right. It was yesterday and last week too. Maybe I need a better calendar.

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  4. Boy Betsy, your girls are gorgeous. And what a great cause for you to support. Rock on sister. Way to promote the cause of women (and to raise some pretty awesome future women too)!

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  5. Love it. Hope I have an adora-girl someday (no offense, Mikko). Did you make the eggs like ducks or not? I must know.

    Also, I'm with Melodie: I'm forever being told it's one day or another and I never know which to believe, but it turns out this was a pretty significant one in Bloggy-dom. Oh, well!

    I love supporting charities that support women, such as through micro-loan programs and gifts of livestock. I'm always intrigued by the data that show helping women is the best way to relieve poverty. We have the power!

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