Driven and dedicated father

[mkgal1]

I loved this news story (for many reasons).

A Colorado dad with a shaved head might not seem like he'd end up a braiding fashionista, but that's just what Greg Wickherst has become. The former Navy technician and single father wanted to learn how to braid his daughter's hair and decided to go to a cosmetology class after work to do it. "It really wasn't that hard," Wickherst said. "It was just a matter of learning how to do it. Just taking the time to do it and now it's very simple to do these styles."

The former Navy technician said he wants to encourage more parents to break gender stereotypes.

"I think dads should take care of their daughter's hair and moms should take care of their son's football or whatever."

It's really a part of the other trending conversation about the recent Super Bowl ad and that response.


Single dad takes braiding lessons to style daughter's hair | abc7news.com

Thoughts on how gender stereotypes limit people? And how breaking them frees people to do more....be more....create more.....and even love more fully?

 

[mkgal1]

Adding another layer to all this:

The New Documentary That Shows How Our Obsession With Masculinity Is Destroying Young Men
“We’ve put young boys and men in a straightjacket, forcing them to conform to a construct and disconnect from who they really are,” The Mask You Live In writer-director Jennifer Siebel Newsom told BuzzFeed News.


PARK CITY, Utah — Early on in the documentary The Mask You Live In, which premiered Jan. 23 at the Sundance Film Festival, the idiom “be a man” is identified as one of the most destructive phrases in the English language. That might be shocking to those who believe in adhering to traditional gender roles and the need for boys to learn about masculinity at a young age, but the documentary uses psychologists, coaches, and men of all ages to demonstrate the damage American culture’s rigid definition of masculinity has had on society.~http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzm...hows-how-our-obsession-with-mascul#.jb0yv7zGV

Any thoughts on this? Agree.....disagree? Anything?

 

[HannahT]

My father used to be a craft's nut. He started with macrame, rug hooking, and before he died he was on stain glass windows. He won awards with his needlepoint and cross stitching.

He used this hobby as a stress reduction tool. lol and he was good at it! My grandfather would tease him about it not be masculine, and then Dad handed him a book by Rosey Grier....who did rug hooking....then asked him if he was brave enough to treat him the same way. lol never did get a response to that ONE!

I actually preferred my father doing my hair when I was younger. Mother - to me anyway - was a bit rough. Dad took the time, and I don't remember screaming in pain with him. I had LONG hair that was very thick, and since I was a tomboy? My hair was a rat's nest on top of it!

Dad couldn't do that often, because he did tons of travel for his job. I do remember coming running to him with the comb and brush when he was in town!

These gender jobs are bit much. It was a huge bonding experience for us. I find men that want to be restricted by only gender rather cowardly. I can't try because I'm a boy? lol! Now, if you find its not something you are good at? That's completely different. If you refuse to try? That's a whole nother ball of wax.

 

[mkgal1]

Your dad sounds like he was a wonderful man, Hannah (and witty ). I'd never heard that about Rosey Grier---here's a link about him (if anyone is interested). Rosey Grier He's not exactly the kind of guy you'd challenge on his masculinity (when he was younger).

I love hearing about men that are bold enough.....brave enough.....to ignore the criticism of others and just go on about doing life well.

 

[.chrys.]

I loved this news story (for many reasons).

A Colorado dad with a shaved head might not seem like he'd end up a braiding fashionista, but that's just what Greg Wickherst has become. The former Navy technician and single father wanted to learn how to braid his daughter's hair and decided to go to a cosmetology class after work to do it. "It really wasn't that hard," Wickherst said. "It was just a matter of learning how to do it. Just taking the time to do it and now it's very simple to do these styles."

The former Navy technician said he wants to encourage more parents to break gender stereotypes.

"I think dads should take care of their daughter's hair and moms should take care of their son's football or whatever."

It's really a part of the other trending conversation about the recent Super Bowl ad and that response.


Single dad takes braiding lessons to style daughter's hair | abc7news.com

Thoughts on how gender stereotypes limit people? And how breaking them frees people to do more....be more....create more.....and even love more fully?

To be frank, even this man is stereotyping when he said, "I think dads should take care of their daughter's hair and moms should take care of their sons football or whatever." Why not say, "I think more dads should take care of their daughter's football or whatever and more moms should take care of their son's hair?" Breaking gender stereotypes means breaking them for every age group: sons, daughters, moms, dads, grandfathers and grandmothers.

 

[mkgal1]

I don't believe he's stereotyping but maybe more just acknowledging what those general stereotypes are (it's pretty much common knowledge what's expected of traditional gender roles).

 

[RedPonyDriver]

My husband is an artist, a carpenter, he does beautiful counted cross stitch. I envy him the ability to do that. I can't. He's built furniture that looks like it cost a LOT of money, refinished garage sale and dumpster finds and turned them into things of beauty.

He has the ability to bring order to chaos every time we move, I just look at the stack of boxes and run away. He has the patience to match socks. He does 90% of the housework and he's MUCH better at it than I am.

I'm the one who fixes cars, mows lawns (when we have a lawn), does the gardening, scoops the doggie droppings, takes the trash out. Oh, and I usually cook.

Yeah, we have problems with traditional gender roles in our house.

 

[DZoolander]

I have no idea how to do my daughter's hair...lol

 

[mkgal1]

I have no idea how to do my daughter's hair...lol

....and I think that's totally okay! I have trouble with my *own* hair (and was never motivated to learn to do fancy braids with our daughter's hair). I think that's part of the beauty (haha....I didn't even mean to do that) of breaking through the gender stereotypes---it's not about things being all uniform and tidy. When gender stereotypes are ignored....we each can operate using our own strengths/gifts/personalities and tailor them to our lives and circumstances.

 

[DZoolander]

lol - yeah - I can brush the knots/bird nests out of it - but nothing beyond that. I can't even get a good tight pony tail right.

 

[HannahT]

lol - yeah - I can brush the knots/bird nests out of it - but nothing beyond that. I can't even get a good tight pony tail right.

Most people aren't born with those skills. I wasn't!

You should see my braid! Yikers!

 

[Inkachu]

I think we should stop telling people what to be and do, PERIOD. Why assume all dads are hands-off with their daughters, or mothers with their sons? Why assume that all daughters want to bake cookies and all sons play football? Just stop it! You handle YOURSELF and YOUR family and YOUR kids and stop telling other parents and families how to handle their own business!!!

Oh my gosh... *deep breath*... minding your own business... TRY IT!

 

[DZoolander]

^^^ yep

 

[Inkachu]

Sorry, I was obviously feeling a little feisty this morning lol.

 

[mkgal1]

I think we should stop telling people what to be and do, PERIOD. Why assume all dads are hands-off with their daughters, or mothers with their sons? Why assume that all daughters want to bake cookies and all sons play football? Just stop it! You handle YOURSELF and YOUR family and YOUR kids and stop telling other parents and families how to handle their own business!!!

Oh my gosh... *deep breath*... minding your own business... TRY IT!

Inka....are you taking this article to be an example of telling people what to be and do?

 

[Inkachu]

Inka....are you taking this article to be an example of telling people what to be and do?

Umm, yeah, he said "I think dads should take care of their daughter's hair and moms should take care of their son's football or whatever."

He needs to do what he feels is right for him as a father, not tell other dads how to be fathers to their daughters.

 

[mkgal1]

Umm, yeah, he said "I think dads should take care of their daughter's hair and moms should take care of their son's football or whatever."

He needs to do what he feels is right for him as a father, not tell other dads how to be fathers to their daughters.

I guess considering the way he phrased that....then I agree with you (you're right). I think he was referring to single parents being involved in all aspects of they're child's life......but that still depends on the circumstances.

 

[Inkachu]

Well, my gosh, my dad certainly never had a thing to do with my hair or clothes or makeup, and I never would have expected or wanted him to!

 

[mkgal1]

But if your dad were single (when you were this little girl's age) wouldn't *someone* have to be brushing and and fixing your hair? It might as well be your father.

 

[DZoolander]

I suppose if I was single, I'd learn to do my daughter's hair. But, as of now it's something that kinda frightens me to touch...lol On days when my wife's been sick and I've had to drop her off at school - I've considered bringing hair clips along and asking the teachers to do it.

But...haven't gone that far yet. On those days I just did it into the best ponytail I could.