I grew up in a time when women had a different place in life. We were expected to be the wife, home maker and mother. And when it came to competitions with boys, it was not wise to win if you were a girl. The boys . . . and later, the men . . . didn’t like the girls who won.
But there were women who disagreed. They said we should have the same options as men. We should be able to work if we want and also be a home body. We should be allowed to use our gifts and our talents.
Even as we were liberated to join in games and sports, it was somehow expected that when you played with other girls, you could do your best. But when you played with boys, it was so much wiser to let them win, with eyelash batting innocence when they topped us – yet again.
Today the very idea makes me laugh. Somewhere along the way, we figured out that it was OK to win.
With that allowance, we learned the thrill of victory, and never looked back. We can be the top analyst, the team leader as well as the soccer mom – or the soccer player.
I hope we show enough appreciation to those who led the way to this delicious freedom. It was not easy to buck the tide. But they did and they won for us, this freedom – The freedom to WIN, even when you are a girl.
Show #300