Butts

A co-authored post by Lulu, Alice, and Gabriel

It's good to be home! Each year I notice that the conversations among my siblings and me get a little more interesting - although we do talk about things like butts, stinky feet, and obscene bodily functions, we also have been talking lately about things like ethical business practices, systematic education reform, and societal and biblical gender roles.

We haven't solved the crisis of the United States education system yet (a heavy task for sure), nor have we completely finished defining either ethical business practices or appropriate gender roles - but here are some of the highlights from our conversations of the latter:

A Short Treatise on Masculinity and FemininityBy the Hu Baby-Sibs 

What A Man Should Be
According to Gabriel:
- brave (like swim with sharks)
- strong (like have beefy arms)
- loyal (to people they love)
- humble (like not show off)
- chivalrous [after learning the word from Alice]
- have an ancient battle cry [emphasis mine - you can ask him for a demonstration]  

According to Alice: 
- swift, as a coursing river
- forceful, as a great typhoon
- strong, as a raging fire
- mysterious, as the dark side of the mooooooon [emphasis mine]
but seriously,
- brave (doing what you know you should do despite the risks)
- strong (mentally speaking, I don't think physically is a necessity)
- chivalrous (which historically speaking, means to honor God, honor the king, and honor women)
- mature (i.e. know what is important and care about what's important)  

What A Woman Should Be
According to Gabriel:
- the boss (because they get to eat food first and they can hit a man but he can't hit her back)
- have nice clothes (and dresses and stuff)
- warm-hearted (like being nice and kind and stuff)
- can keep secrets (like where are all the Christmas presents??)
- gooey [I will leave this one to interpretation]  

According to Alice:
- gracious (i.e. forgiving, putting others before self)
- compassionate ('like being nice and kind and stuff')
- mature (similar to point before)

Well I hope that this brought you some laughs - it definitely did for us :)

Some of my thoughts - I was quite surprised at some of the things my brother said, especially about women being the boss and men having beefy arms, and I was not as surprised about some of the things my sister said, especially about men and women's roles as defined by tradition, modern society, and the Bible. I also found it striking that my brother has such a very clear view of what makes a man, though he was much more hesitant to say what makes a woman. The same could probably be said of my sister. It's funny (and at times even a bit scary) what kids interpret from what adults in either their own lives or the media do and say. From a very young age, they're told what they should and shouldn't be, and whatever that message is, it is often reinforced towards the negative as they grow older. Through these conversations, I was reminded again and again of how important it is to have godly men and women in our lives, both as examples to look to, and as mentors and friends to live with.

To close, here are a few ending highlights and words of wisdom:

"I think that men should be able to cry too. Because sometimes things are really important, and if they know it then it's ok to cry about it.. like if someone they love is hurt or dies.. but not if it's like all the time like about dirty shoes or something." -- Gabriel

"What's that word again? The one with the 'w'? Oh yeah chivalry! I think it's like when someone wants to punch the king so you go and block it. Add that to mine ok?" -- Gabriel 

"A man should not scan his butt. Neither should a woman. Or anyone else for that matter. Because then you'll have to get a new scanner." -- Alice

"To scan, or not to scan. Choose wisely." -- Gabriel