My thoughts on when I hear women say (and I hear it a lot) -

“I don’t need a Man” or “I’m a strong independent woman”

Thread.

My mother taught me to be self reliant. And with that in mind I’ve taken on the idea that’s it’s important that my own child see that we can and will forge ahead and still be successful and happy, in spite of the societal expectations that we have a Man around.

In my time as a single woman, I’ve taught myself how to change a tire & jump start a car (in four inch heels and a dress, no less). I’ve learned plumbing, I’ve learned how to fix a ceiling fan on my own, bleed the lines to my oil tank when it ran out of oil (thank you YouTube)

figured out what sort of wound requires a little liquid Band-aid and which merits a trip to the ER. I talk football with my kid, take out my own trash, shovel my own driveway, patch holes in the walls, hang shelves, etc...

I trap the mice and rescue the frogs and kill all the spiders. I do it all around here because the truth of the matter is I don’t have an option.

But the reality is, a Man is the other side of the coin.

We can tell ourselves all we want that we don’t need the opposite sex for anything other then sex or company, but we all know that the “need/want” is mutually exclusive.

I need him to help me embrace my own flaws and learn from my mistakes. I need/want him to allow the unspoken i-am-a-strong-and-independent-woman to fall weak, vulnerable and devastated sometimes and without mocking.

I realize that while I know I could go at it alone, I really want/need him along for the ride. To help. To support. To love me through it. 

Fun, strength, maturity, love, security and the comfort of being yourself around him are things a Man can provide.

There really is not one, but a million lovely things that a Man can be in a woman's life.

Ladies be-careful when you speak those words of “I don’t need a Man”.

Men are good for so much more than making babies, paying bills and moving furniture.