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I'm teaching my 6- and 7-year-old boys about consent. Here's how it's gone so far.

parenting, consent, education, sexuality, community
Photo by saeed karimi on Unsplash

The scenarios of parenting have many hurdles in order to offer a healthy way of approaching life.

The second week of first grade, my 6-year-old son came home and told me, very seriously, "Mama, I have a girlfriend, and I love her."

I didn't laugh at him or tell him he is too young to have a girlfriend, and I didn't minimize his feelings. We had a very serious conversation about his girlfriend: what he likes about her, what they talk about at lunch, and what games they play on the playground at recess. I asked questions about her; some he knew the answers to, and some he didn't.

Nearly every day after that for some time, we talked about his girlfriend, and in every conversation, in some way, we talked about consent — what it means, what it looks like, and how I expect him to act.

I didn't objectify the little girl by referring to her as "your little girlfriend" as I've heard other adults tease their own children. I didn't make jokes about him being a heartbreaker or tell him that the girls will be falling all over him by high school. I didn't tell him his feelings don't matter — and I definitely didn't tell him her feelings don't matter. I think the seeds of misogyny are planted with words as much as behavior, and I treated his emotions seriously because, for him, being in love for the first time is the most serious thing in the world. He will remember this little girl just as I remember my first boyfriend, and how I handle things now is setting the tone for the future.

I wasn't expecting to have these conversations in the context of a relationship quite so soon.

His older brother is more introverted, with the exception of the occasional fleeting crush. But I have been talking about consent and modeling it since my sons were babies.

The idea that young men need to learn about consent in high school or college goes hand-in-hand with the idea that sex education shouldn't be taught before then, either. Consent is an ongoing conversation in our home, framed to suit the situation. But now that my son has a girlfriend, I'm finding ways to introduce the concept of consent within a relationship on a level that he can understand.

From the time my sons were very little — before they could even talk — I started teaching them about body autonomy and consent.

"Do you want me to tickle you?" "Can I pick you up?" "Do you want me to brush your hair?"

I would ask whenever I could, waiting for their response before proceeding. Yes, of course, there are times when a young child needs to be picked up or hair needs to be brushed whether they want it or not, but there are just as many times when children can be given — and deserve — the right to choose. And so I let them decide whenever I can.

Teaching them that no one can touch them without permission was the first step in teaching them about respecting the boundaries of others.

I model the respect I expect them to extend to others. It is an ongoing lesson, as the most important lessons always are.

Of course they fight — what siblings don't? But I teach them that, whatever the game or activity, if someone says "Stop!" or "No!" they are to stop what they are doing.

To that end, I try to stay out of their squabbles and give them time to sort them out. If they don't stop, there are consequences. We talk about how it feels to have someone keep chasing, tickling, or bothering you when you've told them to stop. I watch their empathy for others grow as they consider how it feels to be little and have grownups want to touch their faces or hug them without permission. They're learning, and it gives me hope.

But now I'm having daily conversations with my youngest son about girlfriends and what is — and isn't — OK.

He knows he has to ask if she wants a hug before he touches her. He knows that it's rude to refer to her as "my girlfriend" when talking about her and that it's better, and more respectful, to use her name.

He knows that if he gives her a gift, he should give her a chance to respond instead of inundating her with more gifts. "Let's wait and see how she feels about this lovely picture you made her before you draw another one," I tell him, explaining how overwhelming it can be to have someone give you gifts when you're not ready for them or haven't had a chance to return the affection. Of course, I'm thinking about the boy I knew my junior year of high school who would constantly leave me trinkets of his affection at my locker — affection that wasn't reciprocated and made me uncomfortable, especially after I asked him to stop.

I don't know if I'm doing this right, honestly.

There are times when I think to myself, "But he's only 6! Why are we even having this conversation?" And then I remind myself, "If not now, when?"

I know what it means to be a girl in this world, and my sons are starting to hear my #MeToo stories, the ones they're old enough to understand. How do I talk about what's wrong in the world if I'm not willing to talk about the right behaviors, the right way to treat women?

I know my sons have a good role model in their father and in our marriage. I know they watch how my husband interacts with me, and I see it reflected in how they treat me. It's a start, but I know it's not enough in a world that sends mixed messages to boys about girls and how to treat them.

It's been eye-opening, seeing how my children regard consent.

I've seen how those early lessons in teaching them about their own right to say no have gone a long way in teaching them the empathy and respect they show for others now.

I know we're not done; we're only just starting. I know it's only going to get more complicated as they get older.

But at the end of the day, no matter their age, the core lesson is the same: respect people, care about how they are feeling in your interactions with them, and remember that others have a right to feel differently than you do and to set boundaries for what is OK with them. The situations will change, but those words will be repeated again and again.

Teaching consent is not a one-time discussion. It's something I want my sons to think about every single day.

This story originally appeared on Ravishly and is reprinted here with permission. More from Ravishly:

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    30 cheap and delicious meals frugal people swear they never get sick of

    "I could eat one every day of my life if I allowed it to happen."

    Image via Canva

    Frugal people share cheap meals they love.

    Groceries are a major expense these days. And grocery prices are continuing to go up in 2025, according to the USDA. Still, making meals at home versus going out to eat is cheaper, and a big way to save money. But getting creative with low-cost ingredients can be a hang-up.

    In an online community of frugal people, member samdaz712 posed the question to fellow savers: "What’s the cheapest meal you actually enjoy eating regularly?"

    They continued, "We all have that one budget meal that somehow never gets old. For me, it’s rice, eggs, and frozen mixed veggies with soy sauce and chili flakes. Costs next to nothing, takes 10 minutes, and I actually look forward to it."

    The post wrapped up with a call-out for others' favorite and frugal meals. "Curious what everyone else’s go-to cheap meals are not the I’ll suffer through this to save money kind, but the ones you genuinely like and would still eat even if you weren’t budgeting. Always looking for new ideas that don’t break the bank," they added.

    Frugal people happily shared their cheap (and yummy) go-to meals. Here are 30 cheap meals that they never get sick of.

    "PB&J sandwiches. I could eat one every day of my life if I allowed it to happen. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll make a PB, banana, and honey sandwich. Then I'll pan toast with a generous amount of butter on each side until the bread is golden brown and the PB starts to melt. It's so decadent yet so cheap." - Kom4K

    "Fried egg sandwich." - Major9000

    "Every week-ish we make pinto beans, smash em up into a refried situation, melt some cheese, spread them on toasted torta bread with avocado. Then use leftovers in your eggs the next day or make burritos for lunch. You can never go wrong with a pot of beans." - BoardNo1459

    "A pot of pinto beans with a link of kielbasa sausage and corn bread...Absolute baller." - Bigram03

    "'Hobo-potatoes,' diced potatoes, onions, salt and pepper, mixed up in a bag of foil with oil and left to cook in the coals of a camp fire. Goes great with any protein and has more potassium per serving than bananas." - BlaqueNight

    "Pasta and butter. Sometimes with grated parmesan." - RuthlessLidia

    "Quesadilla." - babe_ruthless3

    "Toast." - FrauAmarylis

    "Pan fried tofu slabs braised in a pan with chopped kimchi, green onion, kimchi liquid or rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, bit of water to make it saucy, a tsp of sugar seems to help it meld together. Takes 10-12 min. Served over short grain rice. Optional toppings, toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, sliced green onion. Edit: this was from The NY Times food, from Sue Li for exact proportions." - LavaPoppyJax

    "Costco’s $1.50 hot dog and drink." - StarWolf478

    "Rice and eggs for me too. It can be enjoyed in so many ways! My favorite is a crispy egg that’s still yolky on sushi rice with seaweed, salt and sesame oil." - theyrejusttoys

    "For me it's an egg foo young - type dish! Stir raw eggs into leftover cooked vegetables (and optional protein, like leftover chicken or whatever you have). Ladle the mixture into a hot pan with a little oil, and fry up into patties. Serve over rice, and top with a drizzle of some kind of Asian sauce and a little hot pepper. You can look up a recipe for Egg Foo Young sauce, but that's not necessary; it tastes great with almost any kind of Asian sauce, or simply soy sauce. The cooked patties last for days in the refrigerator and can be reheated. Bonus: This is a fantastic way to use up any small bits of leftover veggies or meat. And if I have wilted vegetables that are in danger of spoiling, I just chop them up and quickly sauté them together, and freeze them in small containers. Now I have lots of veggies ready to go to make delicious egg foo young." - TIL_eulenspiegel

    "For me, it’s instant noodles with a soft-boiled egg, some greens, and a splash of sesame oil. Dirt cheap but feels like comfort food every time!" - Wajid-H-Wajid

    "Baked potatoes. So cheap, so good." - killyergawds

    "Over-night oats. Eat it every morning before work." - Non_Binary_Goddess

    "Nachos for the win." - HappyBear4Ever

    "Rice and lentils cooked together." - RichCoast7186

    "Potatoes, baked beans, fried eggs. Potatoes, corned beef, fried eggs. Rice (Mexican, Spanish, or Asian), beans, fried eggs. Cottage cheese, bran, frozen blueberries, milk. Home made salsa or pico de gallo on anything. Ground beef, rice, tomato and whatever else I have around. Rotisserie chicken, use the carcass to make soup with rice. Use the chicken that you can get off with tortillas and verde/enchilada sauce. With rice and beans. My advice, get really good at cooking rice, beans, and potatoes. Make sure you have a good selection of spices. Throw whatever extra money you have at whatever meats you can." - himthatspeaks

    "Sweet potato black bean burrito a la moosewood. The most basic version is just a sweet potato and a can of black beans (but much better with an upgrade of caramelized onions and some cumin)." - Upbeat-Poetry7672

    "Sardines on toast with a over easy egg." - Gandi1200

    "Green bean casserole! Takes 10mins and lasts me all week for dinner and lunch." - Kihakiru

    "Pan fried Spam, sunny side up egg, over rice. Furikake seasoning to taste." - Cajunsalmon

    "I don't make meals I don't enjoy eating, but these are easy, quick, healthy and yummy. 1/2 rice , 1/2 red lentils + cubed veggies (frozen or fresh) eventually crushed tomatoes or coconut milk. Baked savory oats : shredded veggies +oats and eventually eggs or cheese or tomato sauce. Dhal sooooooo delicious. Split pea soup." - sohereiamacrazyalien

    This article originally appeared in July

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    More parents are installing landlines for their kids and the benefits are undeniable

    Memorizing numbers is making a comeback.

    Photo credit: Canva

    More parents are installing landlines for their kids; the benefits are undeniable.

    Do you remember chatting with your friends on a three-way call, wrapping the phone cord around your finger while you got the scoop on what happened during 4th-period lunch? If not, then you were probably born after cellphones became the norm. But for older people, a time was had back then—and now, today's kids might get to experience that nostalgic telephone experience, too.

    More parents are starting to install landline phones for their kids instead of getting them cellphones. Older generations often complain that Gen Z seems to lack social skills, but they're the first generation to grow up without house phones. It turns out that all those hours spent chatting on the landline may have been a key factor in developing effective communication skills.

    kids cell phone; kids landline; landlines; communication; low tech life; old school parenting; social skills Relaxing chat with a vintage vibe.Photo credit: Canva

    However, for parents now, the development of communication skills is a welcome, unexpected side effect of trying to keep their kids off smartphones for a little longer. In 2025, it may seem imperative that a child have a cellphone so they can stay in touch with their family members. Latchkey kids may be seen as a thing of the past, but they still exist when kids age out of after-school care. That means parents who are concerned about safety may turn to cellphones a little earlier than they'd like to make sure their kids make it into the house after getting off the bus.

    A cellphone may help a child communicate that they've made it home, but it doesn't protect them from the dangers of having unfettered access to the Internet and social media. This is why some parents are turning to landlines again, and they're pleasantly surprised by the results.

    kids cell phone; kids landline; landlines; communication; low tech life; old school parenting; social skills Children immersed in their smartphones outdoors.Photo credit: Canva

    "My husband and I decided to kind of pause the screen path that so many people were on, but we pivoted and surprised her with a landline," Caron Morse tells The Today Show.

    The mom was able to convince a few other parents to join in, watching the circle of landlines grow for her daughter. However, having a constantly busy phone wasn't the sweet side effect—it was the increased communication skills. "It sounds so weird to say that bringing a landline into the house was my smartest parenting choice, but in my heart I really feel like this was an important pivot," the mom says.

    Paul Zalewski, co-founder of Fathercraft, shares with Parents Magazine that he installed a cordless landline complete with an answering machine for his kids. He tells the magazine that the shift was deliberate so his kids can practice real conversations, adding, “Their overall communication has become more intentional. Since the landline is voice only, they think before they speak. [The phone] has played a crucial role in building confidence and competence. The older one, in particular, has taken on small adult-like tasks, such as calling to confirm logistics or leaving an important message. We see that responsibility translates into other areas of independence.”

    kids cell phone; kids landline; landlines; communication; low tech life; old school parenting; social skills Boy absorbed in his phone, lying on a cozy bed.Photo credit: Canva

    It was even great for their listening skills. The same thing goes for parents who have ditched full-time cell phone use to have a landline in the house. Patty Schepel writes for The Every Mom about her unexpected positive outcome when she switched to using a landline for a week after realizing her child was competing with her phone for attention.

    She explains, "My goal was to get rid of my phone-separation anxiety, and I wanted to be more present with my kids. However, I was floored by all the additional benefits that came out of this experience." She lists, "I sat with my thoughts. I was in a better mood. I felt more present with my kids. I noticed fewer behavioral issues with my son. I was more productive. I called my friends and had more meaningful conversations." Schepel says the experiment made her realize that she didn't actually need to be connected all the time or jump onto the emotional rollercoaster that is social media.

    kids cell phone; kids landline; landlines; communication; low tech life; old school parenting; social skills Kids enjoying screen time together outside.Photo credit: Canva

    Giving a child a smartphone is a huge decision, especially if it's not a restricted phone like the Bark or Gabb phones that allow complete parental control. However, even with phones like that, introducing the phone can create a habit that some parents may not be ready to contend with. Childhood digital safety expert for Bark Technologies, Titania Jordan, tells Parents Magazine, “Slow, intentional access protects kids from the dangers and stress of life online. I’ve never met a parent who wished they’d handed over tech earlier—only ones who wish they’d waited longer. This landline trend is just one sign of a larger move toward slower, lower-tech childhoods.”

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    A Black woman's car broke down in front of a white man's house. His reaction made her cry.

    "This is who we are."

    @realbillygotti/Instagram

    We need more moments like these.

    The world really doesn't need to see any more hostile run-ins between people of different races. Of course, racism and hatred are very real issues, and ones that we must discuss in order to make progress. But with all the coverage of people behaving badly flooding our awareness through the media and online, it can be easy to write off humanity entirely. To believe that the world is inherently a divisive, dangerous, and ultimately declining place to live. When in reality, not everything is so bleak.

    That’s what makes sharing this story so important.

    In December of 2023, a Black woman named Jo'lee Shine was stuck in her overheated car in front of a stranger's house, waiting for a tow truck to arrive.

    racism, karens, wholesome moments, southern hospitality, kindness, atlanta Jo’lee preparing for the worst. @realbillygotti/Instagram

    When a white man, the homeowner, began approaching her, Jo'lee immediately started recording the interaction. And thank goodness she did, because this was a moment worth immortalizing.

    “I'm so sorry, my car ran hot,” she says in the clip, and begins trying to start the car to prove her situation.

    And then, in the sweetest southern accent you ever heard, we hear “don’t try to crank it baby.”

    We then hear him offer to put water in the car, made sure Jo'lee had coming to pick her up, and then…wait for it…asked if she wanted lunch.

    "We’ll be eating lunch shortly. While we wait on [the tow truck] if we get everything set up I’ll come get you and we’ll have dinner,” he says.

    This brings Jo’lee to instant tears. “That was so sweet,” she whimpers.

    racism, karens, wholesome moments, southern hospitality, kindness, atlanta Jo’lee in tears after being invited to share a meal. @realbillygotti/Instagram

    With a chuckle, the man replies, “that’s the way we are.” he then shared how he just had 22 people over at his house the night before for “a family gathering.”

    Jo’lee declines the lunch offer, but profusely thanks the kind stranger as she wipes the tears that continue to fall. Just before he goes, the man says that he’ll check back in, joking that the tow truck “might be delayed” and she might change her mind.

    In her caption, Jo’lee wrote, “I wasn’t going to post this, but I wanted people to know that they’re still good people in this world.”

    Seems like that mission was accomplished. The video, which has gotten over 176,000 likes on Instagram, gave everyone a little dose of hope. Just take a look at some of these lovely comments:

    “This is who we are...it sucks that movies have put fear in people to that level. That makes me sad that there's fear and division keeping us all from sharing love that I KNOW is in all of us.”

    “The media works to divide us, don't believe their lies. We love all people.. God Bless.”

    "I'll come get you when we get dinner on the table?!!" ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹🔥🔥🔥🔥🙌🙌”

    “The way he called you baby without a mean tone in his soul.”

    “This renews my faith in humanity. He tried to help her without any thought of race.”

    “Just when we think humanity has died, this happens ♥️. Human kindness for the win.”

    Indeed, the world has its’ Karens…and even worse characters. But it also has people who invite strangers to dinner, just because it’s a nice thing to do…because it’s the “way they are.” It’s the way a lot of us are, when we let ourselves be.

    This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

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    Abby Wambach passionately explains why parents shouldn't go to their kids' sports practices

    "What is the purpose of practice?"

    via Canva/Photos

    A girl practicing soccer and Abby Wambach.

    Taking a kid to soccer practice is a good time for many of us to catch up on our Instagram feeds, read a good book, or sit in the car, where it’s warm, and watch from the parking lot. Sure, it’s great to see your kid run around and be active, but it’s a lot more fun to see them play in a game where something is at stake instead of running drills or playing Sharks and Minnows.

    For those who get a little bored at their kid’s practices, you will want to listen to the words of the great Abby Wambach: Don’t go.

    Wambach is a retired soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, who was a regular in the U.S. women's national soccer team from 2003 to 2015. In 2012, she was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. She shared her thoughts on a recent episode of her Welcome to the Party podcast with co-host Rebecca Lowe from NBC’s Premier League coverage.


    The conversation began when Lowe admitted that she doesn’t get to attend all of her child’s games due to her job. “I go to the practices because I don't get to go to as many games as I would like. I probably go to one every four because I'm at work on the weekends,” Lowe said.

    Should parents attend their child’s sports practice?

    “Just think about this. What is the purpose of practice? It's not for the kid to look over their shoulder and make sure that their mom, dad, or parent is sitting on the sideline watching them. Practice is for free play for them,” Wambach responded. “That there is nothing that’s going to encumber them from trying something new...taking a risk, making a mistake, trying something, being successful. Because what we’re then doing is, we’re externalizing all of our motivation.”

    soccer, girl soccer, soccer game, soccer ball, soccer field Some young children playing soccer.via Canva/Photos

    Wambach goes on to say that if a child is giving their all on the practice field to make their parents happy, it makes it more difficult for them to develop a more critical skill, having the self-determination and motivation to play for themselves. "‘Cause we want our kids to be self-starters and internally motivated. So if you're at practice, it outsources that motivation," Wambach said.

    Give kids space and they'll grow

    Let Grow, a movement dedicated to giving children greater independence, agrees with Wambach’s take on practice, suggesting that when children are allowed to practice without parents looking over their shoulders, they are more likely to develop a better relationship with their teammates and coaches. “Yet, by being there all the time, you’re not giving your child a chance to really grow and develop that relationship with their coach and teammates. They’re always watching you as you watch them,” the organization says. “It might seem innocent enough to watch every practice, but it can also give coaches a nice break to not have to deal with the hovering.”

    So, next time your kid has to go to practice, consider giving them some space. By giving them room to take risks, make mistakes, and build stronger connections with their teammates and coach, you’re helping them grow both on and off the field. Sometimes, the best support parents can give their child is knowing when to leave them alone.

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    Adults who lived through the '70s share 10 surprising details about what life was really like

    It wasn't all disco and shag carpets.

    Photo credit: Canva

    Please let us never go back to '70s cigarette culture.

    Movies and other bits of pop culture can feel like little time machines that whiz us right back to periods we never actually lived in. Of course, these worlds, however well-constructed, offer only a glimpse into what life was like for the people who really lived through them. Even films or songs made in the actual decade only offer a limited snapshot of the time. Certain details are bound to get missed.

    It’s probably one of the reasons why past decades are so easily categorized into instantly identifiable aesthetics. Take the 1970s, for instance. We instantly think of disco, bellbottoms, hippies, the “free love” movement in full force, etc. But if you ask people who were actually around in the ‘70s, you’d probably find a lot more than just that.

    But never fear, we did that research for you! Thanks to a few educational videos, as well as good old-fashioned Reddit mining, here are some interesting quotes from Redditors and historical tidbits from the “Me Decade” (named for the uptick in individualism and self-help books…see, we’re learning already!)

    Things were dirtier

    “More litter, more air and water pollution. There were commercials and such to discourage littering, and the EPA got involved with corporate polluters.”

    “The cars were stinkier, the ports were in shambles.”

    “Ashtrays, ashtrays everywhere.”

    “There was a big environmental push to clean up the country. ‘Acid Rain’ was not a drug but a serious environmental problem.”

    As much as the '70s are known for disco, there are other music genres that had a huge impact on culture

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    “Glam rock, blues rock, funk, disco, new wave and punk rock were all new and competing for our attention.”

    “There was Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and so on. All the classic rock you hear now came from the late 60's and the 70's.”

    This perhaps especially goes for punk rock. Which, contrary to popular opinion, did not start in the U.K.

    It's easy to forget it was a time of great political turbulence

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    “I was 18 in 1974 and living in England. I remember it as a time of strikes, demonstrations, and shortages. The rise of Thatcherism saw the steel industry in my hometown decimated and violent demonstrations with miners clashing with police happened just down the road from me. The music was great and punk really caught the feeling of the times.”

    “It kind of sucked to be a teenager then. It was post-Vietnam and Watergate, and we were very cynical as a result. The energy crisis loomed large, stagflation gripped a sliding economy, and crime and cities were turning to sh**. The Cold War was a pervasive threat and popular music was at its nadir; post-60's and pre-1977 and punk.”

    “College had anti-war demonstrations. People were getting drafted and sent to Vietnam to die for no reason. I watched them pull my draft lottery number and fortunately, got one in the 300's.”

    “I recall the feeling of ‘everything sucks, especially us.’ The USA was starting to come to grips with its history not as a patriotic parade, but the horror show it was. In the 1977 inaugural of Carter, Paul Simon sang a beautiful song containing the lyric ‘Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on, I wonder what's gone wrong - I can't help it, I wonder . . . what's gone wrong.’ AT AN INAUGURATION.”

    “Hostages in the Iranian embassy.”

    Living frugally was a necessity

    “Everyone in my middle-class neighborhood lived frugally. My parents had one car and my mom worked nights so they could both commute. I had five pairs of shoes - dress, running, casual, work in the yard and boots. Most kids wore hand me downs - not because it was cool but because there was no money in the budget. We never went out to eat even for special days. Summer was playing in the various back yards and once in a while you got a popsicle from the neighbor. Vacations were camping or trips to relatives. When people scream about inflation today I think you haven't seen anything. But we were happier...life was simpler and everyone seemed to pull together.”

    “Got my driver's license about the time gas shortages started. Imagine pulling into the station and asking for a dollar's worth of regular today.”

    Things weren’t all low-tech


    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    Sure, there were no iPad kids or Waymos, but the ‘70s saw a ton of technological advancements, including the personal computer. It's wild to think that Apple technically came out of this time period.

    You also had the rise of video game consoles, arcades, VCRs, and VHS tapes.

    We know cigarettes were mainstream, but it's crazy to think about how it affected younger people

    “Your mom gave you 2 bucks and a note and sent you to the store for cigarettes.”

    “Smoking was allowed on high school campus in smoking areas. Smoking areas were the teachers lounge in the school for teachers only. Also, just outside of two exits for the students. Hold your breath!”

    “Most adults and many teens smoked. I was allowed to smoke at home at 15. I was sooooo lucky! A small pack cost 50 cents.”

    And just imagine witnessing the cultural juggernaut of Star Wars for the first time

    media0.giphy.com

    “Younger people have no idea what an impact it had. We had grown up on Star Trek reruns and lots of old, bad science fiction. But Star Wars inspired us like nothing else. It had special effects that had never been seen, and a story that was hopeful and uplifting in a time when everything seemed to be getting worse.”

    The bicentennial—you either loved it or hated it. There was no in-between.

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    For context, the United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the U.S. as an independent republic. Some events included reenactments of the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere’s ride, as well the red, white, and blue American Freedom Train, which carried historical artifacts and stopped at 48 contiguous states.

    “The bicentennial was the bomb.”

    “My siblings and I didn’t love the bicentennial! We were so sick of the 'bicentennial mattress sale' etc ads blaring on the tv. My sister and I wrote a song called 'We Hate the Bicentennial' that we still sing occasionally.”

    “The bicentennial years seemed party-less as far as GOP or DEM - we all were just Americans. Everything was red, white, and blue. There were continuous celebrations, picnics, parties over a two year period. I think it would have made our fore father's proud, when you think back to that two year period two hundred years prior.”

    The sexual revolution was fun…for men and women alike

    Imagine it: Birth control and premarital sex are finally normal. Roe v. Wade offered protection for a woman’s right to choose whether or not to become a mother. Even the queer community, while obviously still facing discrimination, began to develop safe havens in places like San Francisco.

    “It was still during the sexual revolution where women were not ashamed of openly exploring their sexuality.”

    “This was pre-AIDS. The idea of 'catching herpes', and this being a serious problem came in around 1980. So there was a short period, more or less from 1950 - 1980, when people thought you could just get rid of STDs with a shot.”

    But not everyone was on board

    There were plenty of cautionary tales (particularly for women) about the dark side of the sexual revolution. Take, for instance, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, a book and subsequent movie based on the real-life murder of a woman named Roseann Quinn, who was murdered by a man she had a one-night stand with. The killer's violence was partially stirred by his feelings about his own sexual identity.

    Similarly, Cruising is a ‘70s novel that follows an undercover cop looking for a homosexual serial killer in New York City.

    You also had conservative activists like Phyllis Schlafly, who vehemently rallied against feminism, abortion, queer rights, and most notably, the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

    - YouTube www.youtube.com

    History is a fascinating thing. The more we learn about it, the more we realize that every era is full of contradictions. Because while life continues to march forward, there will always be a tug-of-war between the past and future.

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