The other day as I was cleaning out a box of materials I’d collected (I save any funny or unusual articles I happen across in case they might come in handy one day for a book), I found a newspaper article about how the study of fossils has proven that male mammoths were prone to die in more crazy, risk-taking ways than female mammoths.
This raises an interesting question (get to that in a minute), but that wasn’t the real reason I kept the article. Nope. It was a quote at the end that grabbed my attention; it was from a scientist straight out of the journal, Current Biology, speculating that males tend to do crazy things after leaving the protection of their mothers to live on their own (and he wasn’t just talking about furry, four-legged prehistoric beasts here): “Old females are very knowledgeable,” he said. “They know best.”
Ah ha! Confirmation of what our grandmas have told us all along. And now that I’m one of them (grandmas as well as old females), it rubs me gratingly wrong when it’s implied that because of this, I am very likely deficient or inadequate.
Shortly after running across the mammoth article, I saw several photos that begged the afore mentioned obvious question (okay, okay, hang on a bit longer while I build my case). One photo showed a man standing in a lagoon, dangling bait over the head of a 15-foot crocodile. The croc looked way too excited.
Another photo showed a man changing an overhead lightbulb while balancing his feet on a folding chair that straddled an open staircase. Hmm.
The last depicted a guy cramming a tree limb into a wood chipping machine with his foot. This old female wouldn’t do that in a million years and she wouldn’t have done it as a young female either. Would you?
So here’s the question we’re all pondering: Do women have more common sense than men?
A little research turned up some interesting comments. According to an article on LifeScience.com, “Men tend to take more risks than women do, and they also seem to be ahead of women in engaging in behavior that is extremely ‘idiotic’.”
The example was given of the terrorist who posted a letter bomb with insufficient postage and when it was returned, he opened it, effectively blowing himself to smithereens.
Multi-faceted term, that: idiot. To my way of thinking, idiocy knows no parameters. We’re all idiots at some time or another, gender, age, and education level notwithstanding. One of my favorite quotes from Too Blessed to be Stressed is “Where there’s a will, there’s an idiot.” That brainchild occurred to me when I suddenly realized I was driving the wrong way on a one way street.
According to researchers affiliated with the Darwin Award (survival of the fittest, you know), men are more likely than women to show “an astonishing misapplication of common sense.” Not counting, of course, the possible contributing factors of alcohol, women not squealing on themselves when they do something stupid, and the macho man element (peer pressure).
Naturally men are not all the same (thank heavens!), just as women are not all the same. Yet there do tend to be trends. Behavioral tendencies based on gender-related perceptions and facts.
Now I am not man-bashing here. Please don’t misinterpret. I love, admire, and respect men; I am happily married to one and gave birth to another. My daddy is my lifetime hero. But I also believe that they are hardwired a little differently than women. Each gender has its strengths and weaknesses. All I’m asking for is a mutual respect for differences in the way Papa God created us.
- Please don’t shout, “Woman driver!” when you’re the one who cut me off, implying that I am somehow inferior or at fault because of my sex.
- Please don’t tell that little boy, with a sneer on your face, that he throws like a girl. I played every kind of ball you can imagine during my lifetime and I may not throw as hard as you, but I’m proud of my skills. (Hey, fella, step out to the tennis court with me and let’s see if you can keep up with a 60-year-old girl.)
- And please, mister, when it comes to picking up social cues and discerning subtle emotional currents, listen to me. Choose to willingly submit within my area of expertise. I’ve spent my entire life acquiring this skill. Acknowledge that I’m miles ahead of you, not because I’m smarter, but because this type of discernment has been embedded in many women by our Creator. Please recognize that I only have your best interests at heart when, during group conversations, I send you silent signals – I give you the “don’t go there” raised eyebrow or barely perceptible head shake. It’s barely perceptible because I’m trying not to embarrass you yet keep you from sticking your foot further down your throat. Do not ignore me and plow blindly ahead. Nor act huffily insulted. Trust me.
And last but certainly not least, when in doubt, always default to this amazingly deep nugget of wisdom: “Old females are very knowledgeable. They know best.” I need that on a bumper sticker.
So what are your thoughts on this subject, BBFF (Blessed Blog Friend Forever)? I’d love to know!
Before I’m outta here, two brief announcements:
- I’m seeking ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) readers for my new book, Too Blessed to be Stressed for Moms, set to release Sept. 1. If you’d like to volunteer to read either a hard copy or e-version this summer and post reviews on Amazon and social media, please let me know and I’ll put you on the list. If you prefer a hard copy, please PM me your mailing address. Thanks!
Oh, and by the way, I’m speaking about several chapters from this very book at the online More Than Mom Summit hosted by Renae Fieck going on this very week (and next week too!). Lots of great speakers addressing lots of great mom-topics. Join the fun at morethanmomsummit.com - I’m THRILLED to announce that the Spanish version of my bestselling Too Blessed to be Stressed: 3-Minute Devotions for Women has just come out (over 200k English copies sold – woohoo!) and are available on Amazon.com and most Christian bookstores. Please share this exciting news with your Latina amigas!
