Now, I have worked in college athletics since she was born, so she is used to seeing women in that space and it has just registered to her that there are only two females on the ticket ops staff. And she just made the connection that until 3 years ago, I was the only female on our staff.
As a parent, you always tell your children that they can do and be anything they want to be. And I want my daughter to truly believe that. There have been times that she has mentioned having "boy interests" and I told her that interests, colors, sports, nothing is just for boys or just for girls. There are just interests, colors, sports, etc.
But back to BWIM month. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church. Southern Baptists are not pro-women in ministry positions, unless it's children's ministry. You would MAYBE see a female music minister, but you would definitely NEVER see a woman in the pulpit.
The church we go to now is Cooperative Baptist, who have a different take on women in ministry. In fact, our church as co-pastors that are a husband and wife team. (In fact, I asked her if I could call him the preacher's husband since people still call her the preacher's wife and they are both our preachers. She thought it was hilarious and cool that my head went there.) Both of them will deliver messages from the pulpit. Usually it is him, sometimes it's her, and then sometimes it's our associate pastor.
However, when kiddo and I were volunteering for clean up day at her school, she was asking me what I thought about the sermon our associate pastor had delivered that morning. While we were discussing it, she then said, "Low key, Ms. Tanya is an underrated preacher. She needs to preach more. Mr. John is ok, but I like when Ms. Tanya preaches more."
And it made me stop and realize how amazing it is that my daughter is growing up in a time that it's becoming more common to see women in traditionally male dominated spaces. To see that our voices are important in all spaces, but especially that they are important from the pulpit where it can bring peace, thoughtful dialogue, and change on a grander scale than just how we live our lives daily.
The world is a better place when women's thoughts are taken seriously. Having her see not only women in those spaces, but seeing the allies not just in other women, but also in the men that support them makes my heart happy. I can't wait to see how the world is changed for the better when her generation is stepping into all spaces to bring about change.
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