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respect women sports

So I confess. I’m still totally #oneofthose moms of teen boys and a preteen girl, asking the boys to hold open the door for females, or help carry heavy stuff.

Maybe I’ve watched Kate and Leopold too many times? Or maybe I just think there’s something good about mutual regard–and about typically “stronger” parties using their strength to serve.

So I was curious how my kids would respond to a bit of local news here in Colorado (that went quickly national): A young man at the state wrestling competition (in our school’s class) refused to wrestle a girl, forfeiting his opportunity to win state.  High school senior Brendan Johnston explained to the Denver Post,

I’m not really comfortable with a couple of things of wrestling a girl. The physical contact, there’s a lot of it in wrestling. And I guess the physical aggression, too. I don’t want to treat a lady like that on the mat. Or off the mat. And not to disrespect the heart or the effort she’s put in. That’s not what I want to do either.

As you can imagine, the media went a bit berserk over this one: Was it ego? Was it respect?

Even my kids were a bit divided about what they would do in the same situation. (Onward with the awkward conversations, right?)

I’m writing on this issue over at FamilyLife.com today–whether it’s respect if women don’t want to be respected. (Or, “Should Boys and Girls Play on the Same Team?”)

Would love your thoughts as we raise both genders to honor one another.

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