What made me feel very bad was simple; failure. I'm pretty apathetic about school grades and failed relationships, but I never knew that not getting a spot on something I was eager to apply for could break me down this way.
But out of all the tears and disappointment I learned a lesson: Be confident but always expect the absolute worse.
That said, I'm done with the corniness and being preachy, now on to naggy/bitchy mode: My mother, who I absolutely adore and admire more than anyone else that has ever walked the planet, is a very traditional woman, indeed she identifies as a feminist and a liberal, but her religiousness and age always seem to conquer her more open-minded side in day-to-day life.
What has been bothering me lately is something very typical of an Arab mother/caretaker; her obsession with gender roles and expressions, namely in helping raise my baby male cousin (once removed), she seems to freak out each time he wants to wear any of my clothes or chooses pink over blue.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for calling him little man and teaching him how to play soccer and other traditionally masculine things, but seriously; a little kid wanting to play with a doll or choosing Minnie Mouse over Micky Mouse does not equal him becoming anything but normal.
It reminded me of this video that really made me think about how kids are pressured to fulfill the adult view of gender roles, which might not be that harmful since most of us were raised this way and a lot of us turned out fine, but you never know what kind of effect suppressing a kid's desire to be him/herself can lead to in their adulthood.
xoxo
