Boys to Men

As a wife, and mother of a son, who very much believes in Free Range parenting, the way we tend to treat so many normal situations as inherently dangerous and so many men as predators by default concerns me.

The number of stories of men treated suspiciously simply for being out and about alone in the general vicinity of kids, usually their own, can get downright depressing. Luckily, I live in a place where fathers are often very involved in their kids' lives, and these sorts of assumptions don't seem to be a part of our daily existence.

It's important to remember, though, that this happens more than it used to (unlike violent crime), and there is danger in assuming every man is a potential predator, which leads to demonizing male sexuality. This is not a good thing and should not be taken lightly.

update: hat tip to Delilah S. Dawson's post on Facebook for the article on demonizing male sexuality.