bottoms up

my mother is from a different era, raised in a cultural landscape where gender stereotypes were deeply ingrained and straightforward.

according to her, a good woman. . .

dresses smartly- never too much skin
speaks quietly and does not laugh too loudly in public
does not flirtwith men
gets married and has children (otherwise she's not a woman)
does not drink more than a glass of wine (in private is occasionally ok)
and so on. . .

a couple weekends ago when i was having dinner with the boy and our parents are felice, my mom gave me a knudge and look as if to say "are you sure that's a good idea? what will his parents think!" when the boy poured a healthy second glass of wine for me. i motion to their almost empty glasses of wine and shoot her a look back that says "don't worry, they are completely fine with it!"

in truth, my mom has never been comfortable with the idea that her daughter likes to drink. the fact that i always drink responsibly and know my limit does not really matter. it would be different if i were a boy as evidenced by the fact that she has never raised issue with my brother. needless to say, i found this article particularly interesting. and can just imagine my mom's chagrin (note: i would never condone binge drinking or dependency on alcohol but think in moderation, alcohol can be part of a fairly healthy life).