Hey Everyone,
Last night I was in a financial Discord chat where some single male members were slinging the usual insults at each other. One of them finally concluded by saying, "Oh yeah? Well at least I have a life. I go out and talk to REAL, ACTUAL women."
I understand this criticism, especially since I'm an introvert in the time of being able to live a lot of life online. But in single circles -- even Christian ones, too often this means that the assumed "loser" "doesn't have a life" is labeled as such just because he/she isn't constantly on the prowl for phone numbers and multiple dates with multiple strangers they've just met.
For some reason, "throwing all your energy and resources into constant awkward social meetings" means "having a life."
I'm at an age now where this kind of "insult" doesn't really bother me, but I was thinking about what the equivalent might be for single parents and those who are married. Even after marriage and family (or just family,) do people still somehow try to tell you to "get a life"?
I remember catching an episode of a very old sitcom called "The Mommies," which was about two everyday suburban moms' daily lives. In this particular episode, their neighbor, "Perfect Mom," told them how every week, she had some kind of "Cultural Lesson Night" for her kids. This would involve cooking some kind of exotic foreign food, then teaching them about the culture and language it came from.
And of course, these two poor Moms were looking at her, frazzled and exhausted, just trying to do their best -- but feeling very much like society was comparing and condemning them for not being "Perfect Mom."
I just wanted to hug them.
* Is the the equivalent of parents/marrieds being told to "Get a Life?" By having people constantly rub it in on how they're supposedly doing a much better job?
* What kinds of pressure do you feel from society that makes you feel as if you're "always behind" when it comes to marriage and family life?
* What challenges do you face in church that make you feel as if you "are never doing enough?"
* What could the church do to help ease these burdens?
I'm just wondering what life is like for those on the other side of the coin.
Last night I was in a financial Discord chat where some single male members were slinging the usual insults at each other. One of them finally concluded by saying, "Oh yeah? Well at least I have a life. I go out and talk to REAL, ACTUAL women."
I understand this criticism, especially since I'm an introvert in the time of being able to live a lot of life online. But in single circles -- even Christian ones, too often this means that the assumed "loser" "doesn't have a life" is labeled as such just because he/she isn't constantly on the prowl for phone numbers and multiple dates with multiple strangers they've just met.
For some reason, "throwing all your energy and resources into constant awkward social meetings" means "having a life."
I'm at an age now where this kind of "insult" doesn't really bother me, but I was thinking about what the equivalent might be for single parents and those who are married. Even after marriage and family (or just family,) do people still somehow try to tell you to "get a life"?
I remember catching an episode of a very old sitcom called "The Mommies," which was about two everyday suburban moms' daily lives. In this particular episode, their neighbor, "Perfect Mom," told them how every week, she had some kind of "Cultural Lesson Night" for her kids. This would involve cooking some kind of exotic foreign food, then teaching them about the culture and language it came from.
And of course, these two poor Moms were looking at her, frazzled and exhausted, just trying to do their best -- but feeling very much like society was comparing and condemning them for not being "Perfect Mom."
I just wanted to hug them.
* Is the the equivalent of parents/marrieds being told to "Get a Life?" By having people constantly rub it in on how they're supposedly doing a much better job?
* What kinds of pressure do you feel from society that makes you feel as if you're "always behind" when it comes to marriage and family life?
* What challenges do you face in church that make you feel as if you "are never doing enough?"
* What could the church do to help ease these burdens?
I'm just wondering what life is like for those on the other side of the coin.
- 4
- 1
- Show all