Girl Power Cerne Giant
reactions differ
altering ancient symbols
amused or irate?
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Our One-A-Week Photo Challenge prompt this week is PAIR
Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku challenge prompts are : AMUSED and IRATE
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The photo is of a painting I did in 1994. I had just returned from a round the world trip looking at all sorts of ethnic symbols in Nepal, Australia, Tahiti and America and realised there is a very powerful symbol in my home county. The Cerne Giant.
I have written about him before a couple of times, here is one post describing a walk in that area. Rainbow Junkie has also written about visiting Cerne Abbas.
When I was playing around with the Giant design, first I gave him a mate by putting my girl version next to him in a painting, but this one is my favourite – girl power!
My 7 year old grandson, Master R asked to me the other day, “Why are boys more important than girls?”
“They’re not are they?” I replied
“Well why do we have the World’s Strongest Man competition and the World’s Tallest Man competition but not the World’s Strongest Woman or the World’s Tallest Woman?”
“Good point,” I said, “I think a long time ago men thought they were more important just because they were in general taller and stronger than women, and some of that still stays on in our culture, but we know better now don’t we, all that thinking is a bit old fashioned.”
We then had quite a long discussion about all the things that girls were better at doing, boys were better at doing and things which boys and girls were equally good at.
They take me into interesting arenas of discussion these grandchildren of mine – looking at the world through their eyes is a very useful thing to do.
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Cathy and I have created a list of Photo Challenges, just for fun. You can see them all here.
Please leave a link to your ‘Pair’ in the Comments, we’d love to see them, and i will include your link in the monthly Round-Up.
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Hi Sandra, here is the link to my PAIR and what a pair they are! https://haikuhound.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/what-a-pair/
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An incredible coup with this joint response Sandra. Keep fostering that young enquiring mind of master R.
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Thank you so much Denis. Ronovan often causes a bit of head scratching!
I feel very lucky to be able to have these conversations with my grandchildren, I will certainly keep it up as long as I can!
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I like Master R’s way of thinking, he is obviously a very bright young man.
Great artwork too Daffy! 🙂
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He certainly has interesting thoughts about the world we live in.
Glad you like my Girl Power Giants!
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Oh I love a bit of Girl Power and they are brilliant! 🙂
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Yeah!!
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Great piece and a great discussion following it.
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Thank you Melissa, glad you enjoyed them both.
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It is fascinating to get a child’s eye view of the world. it was an important discussion to have with your grandson:-)
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Yes, it was one of those moments when I knew I had to be fully present and keep my wits sharp for the task!
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I love that kids today don’t take the traditional stereotypes for granted! I also love your take on the Giant – I know it well and this is fab:)
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Yes, progress is being made!
So glad you like my Giant makeover.
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The difference between boys and boys and girls and girls is as impoortant as between boys and girls, as RJ said. I recall reading tha tthe reason boys are taller and stronger is that they were given the better diet, especially if food was scarce as they were the hunters and defenders/ bread winners and girls looked after the children for which strength was not so necessary. In the West now girls have good diets and so are getting taller and stronger. Except that there is such an emphasis on looking skinny and weedy, so you get girls starving themselves so they have the bodies of teenagers and not those of breeding women. Oh you have got me started now. because of course boys are now being targeted about their body image….. And all that from your lovely pair and your grandson. He’s a star!
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It’s a great subject to get us going isn’t it – thanks so much for adding to the discussion Cathy. I do so agree with you that it is about difference and individuality (as well as similarity and where we meet) rather than gender. I detect that all children nowadays are struggling to find suitable role models to pitch their sense of their own identity against. The media and the hideous video games can make for a toxic diet.
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Yes, such an important discussion to have with kids. Interesting your dad’s reaction. Different generations. Also, I really, really like your piece that generated the discussion.
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Thank you Laurie. It always fascinates me to see the world through the fresh perspective that children have. I’m glad you like my take on the Cerne Giant, I had fun with that one.
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Good for you, helping Master R evolve into a proper feminist! Such an important discussion to have with kids.
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Thanks Kerry. His question shows how these messages get through. He has two feisty sisters, mainly female teachers and me – he has a lot to think about!
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It is wonderful that you had the time and would take that time to talk with your Grands sensibly. Not just put off such an important question.
Love your drawing.
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Thank you Lisa, it is one of the best bits of being a parent and grandparent for me. I remember it drove my Dad to distraction hearing me have these kind of lengthy discussions with my kids when they were younger (especially if they were arguing rather than discussing with me) – saying “you’ll make a rod for your own back”. But to me it is one of the most important aspects of one of the most important jobs in the world.
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I hope you made the point that it was ‘more’ boys are good at this … than girls rather than ‘all’ boys. I never wanted my children to feel limited by their biology. Hence my one daughter has three boys and is as far as know still mostly a mother and my other daughter is the bread winner (with one daughter – would have liked more) and works in a male dominated industry.
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Good point – yes Jane, we had a comprehensive and far ranging discussion, too much to record here. We came to the conclusion that we can all do pretty much anything we want to do whoever we are and see where it leads us.
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Aren’t children wonderful! It is adults that make them anything other than that.
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Agreed Alastair!
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