Our minister had a baby - now she has the blues. I wonder if the blues are a result of the hormones raging through her body or because in one quick and abrupt moment her identity became "Boob" instead of "Pastor." When you think about it no man ever has the experience of being a food source - it's an awesome and consuming role. What woman who has nursed her child can forget that small and demanding mouth searching for sustenance and nurture. And for most of us it isn't a totally wonderful and identity expanding role - in fact it feels more like being drowned. Of course in a short (or for her never ending) 12 weeks she's back to work and resumes her professional role along with her role as mommy. So then she can run between her office and the nursery down the hall trying to meet her needs, the baby's needs, the congregations needs, and of course the husband and other child's needs. And they wonder why we are called superwomen or desperate housewives or pick your adjectives. Of course then you hit the 50 something's and your roles shift and change and (unless you're that woman who had a baby at 54 - what's that about) you may yearn for your role as a mother but you sure don't miss that never ending demandingness of being wife, mother, worker bee. Of course we live longer than men, we train harder - we deal with more emotion, we bend over more, we juggle more balls in the air. And if that isn't enough to strengthen your heart I don't know what is.
So, as much as I want to be non-sexist and fair - I think any man who hasn't had his chest sucked on 4 or 5 hours a day for months on end (I had a friend who nursed for 3 years, a true martyr) by a crying baby hasn't really walked in our shoes.
