Feminism–a 100 word reflection

Last week, my eleven year old son asked me, “Are you a feminist?”

“Yes, of course,” I said, preoccupied.

But, then I stopped and asked, “What do you think a feminist is?”

“It’s a person who believes that women should be over men,” he said, while looking at me cautiously.

I smiled.  “Actually, it’s a person who believes that men and women should have equal rights and equal access to resources.”

A light came on in his eyes. “I’m a feminist, mom!”

“Feminist” was a bad word when I was a kid.  Now, though we don’t talk about it explicitly, it’s a given.  Even for the boys.