Women teaching patriarchy to women.

[I.J. Reilly]

UD, do you have some sort of time schedule you maintain with the old threads that you bump? Perhaps an excel spreadsheet or written inside the trusty Franklin-Covey? What is this diabolical calendar that you keep?

[Jarid in Cedar]

UD, do you have some sort of time schedule you maintain with the old threads that you bump? Perhaps an excel spreadsheet or written inside the trusty Franklin-Covey? What is this diabolical calendar that you keep?

love that word. reminds me of the old Batman TV show.

[UtahDan]

UD, do you have some sort of time schedule you maintain with the old threads that you bump? Perhaps an excel spreadsheet or written inside the trusty Franklin-Covey? What is this diabolical calendar that you keep?

About every three months.

[Babs]

About every three months.

you are officially the biggest nerd ever (sorry, nikuman). I'm surprised you couldn't hold off ten more days.

[UtahDan]

you are officially the biggest nerd ever (sorry, nikuman). I'm surprised you couldn't hold off ten more days.

This may sound dumb but I was thinking about this patriarchy issue when I was thinking through what to say when I blessed my son. At some point it occurred to me that my wife would have at least equal insight into what he would be in need of. So I asked her what she thought and I ended up incorporating all of the things she suggested.

Now this will make me sound off the edge to a lot you, but that lead me to think what a beautiful thing it would be for a mom and dad to hold a baby together and bless him in front of a congregation. I'm not lobbying for that, but it was a thought that occurred to me.

[LA Ute]

This may sound dumb but I was thinking about this patriarchy issue when I was thinking through what to say when I blessed my son. At some point it occurred to me that my wife would have at least equal insight into what he would be in need of. So I asked her what she thought and I ended up incorporating all of the things she suggested.

Now this will make me sound off the edge to a lot you, but that lead me to think what a beautiful thing it would be for a mom and dad to hold a baby together and bless him in front of a congregation. I'm not lobbying for that, but it was a thought that occurred to me.

I am not recollecting this well at all, but some years ago mothers were holding the babies while the fathers and other priesthood bearers did the blessing. I thought that was a nice thing, but the word came down that it was not to be done.

[UtahDan]

I am not recollecting this well at all, but some years ago mothers were holding the babies while the fathers and other priesthood bearers did the blessing. I thought that was a nice thing, but the word came down that it was not to be done.

Interesting. Women used to do washings and anointings in connection with child birth as well, as I'm sure you know.

[LA Ute]

Interesting. Women used to do washings and anointings in connection with child birth as well, as I'm sure you know.

Don't be too sure about what I know.

The baby-holding thing was only 20 years ago or so.

[Pheidippides]

Interesting. Women used to do washings and anointings in connection with child birth as well, as I'm sure you know.

Even if LA knew this, I didn't. Was it a bedside type of thing in the hospital?

[Mrs. Funk]

This may sound dumb but I was thinking about this patriarchy issue when I was thinking through what to say when I blessed my son. At some point it occurred to me that my wife would have at least equal insight into what he would be in need of. So I asked her what she thought and I ended up incorporating all of the things she suggested.

Now this will make me sound off the edge to a lot you, but that lead me to think what a beautiful thing it would be for a mom and dad to hold a baby together and bless him in front of a congregation. I'm not lobbying for that, but it was a thought that occurred to me.

I've often thought of this idea. I don't think it makes you sound off the edge. It WOULD be beautiful for the two people who created this new little person to bless him or her together. The concept sounds wonderfully right and good to me. It feels intuitively wrong to me to think that God would frown upon it. Mankind is the zenith of creation, and I think we should be able to celebrate our roles as men and women in the co-creation of human life.

(For some interesting reading, the fine folks at FMH have discussed this at length various times. Some highlights include this, this, and this thread.

[Pheidippides]

I've often thought of this idea. I don't think it makes you sound off the edge. It WOULD be beautiful for the two people who created this new little person to bless him or her together. The concept sounds wonderfully right and good to me. It feels intuitively wrong to me to think that God would frown upon it. Mankind is the zenith of creation, and I think we should be able to celebrate our roles as men and women in the co-creation of human life.

(For some interesting reading, the fine folks at FMH have discussed this at length various times. Some highlights include this, this, and this thread.

I had a really neat experience last Sunday in which I was asked to bless the baby of some friends of ours (the dad is not a member). As I talked with them before-hand, I asked them what they wanted me to say, and it became very clear that they had both talked about what they would like in a blessing. The simplicity of that - the husband and wife talking together about what blessings they had hoped for - made me somewhat ashamed that I had neglected to ask my own wife what she wanted when I blessed our own kids.

Whether or not women ever get the priesthood (and while I'm not necessarily out there pounding the stump for it, I'm not going to complain if they do), I think there is some work to do now. I should have been the mouthpiece for both of us in blessing our kids - but we didn't see things from that point of view when I did it because of our cultural upbringing. We were both raised with the (admittedly implicit) view that the woman didn't have any say in the blessing because she didn't have the priesthood. It's a shame and a true regret of mine.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I am not recollecting this well at all, but some years ago mothers were holding the babies while the fathers and other priesthood bearers did the blessing. I thought that was a nice thing, but the word came down that it was not to be done.

How could that decision be anything but sexism? Good heavens, where is the harm in that?

[Jeff Lebowski]

you are officially the biggest nerd ever (sorry, nikuman). I'm surprised you couldn't hold off ten more days.

WTF? I don't even make the top two?

[Mrs. Funk]

I had a really neat experience last Sunday in which I was asked to bless the baby of some friends of ours (the dad is not a member). As I talked with them before-hand, I asked them what they wanted me to say, and it became very clear that they had both talked about what they would like in a blessing. The simplicity of that - the husband and wife talking together about what blessings they had hoped for - made me somewhat ashamed that I had neglected to ask my own wife what she wanted when I blessed our own kids.

Whether or not women ever get the priesthood (and while I'm not necessarily out there pounding the stump for it, I'm not going to complain if they do), I think there is some work to do now. I should have been the mouthpiece for both of us in blessing our kids - but we didn't see things from that point of view when I did it because of our cultural upbringing. We were both raised with the (admittedly implicit) view that the woman didn't have any say in the blessing because she didn't have the priesthood. It's a shame and a true regret of mine.

Thanks for sharing this experience. I'm more at ease with the idea of the husband being a mouthpiece for the blessings the parents want to mutually give to their children. Still, it'd be really cool to stand in the circle or bless my child myself. I'm decently well-spoken; I don't think Mpfunk has all the claim on eloquence or that men giving blessing has anything to do with respective eloquence.

In our ward before this one, the bishopric would ask the mothers of the baby being blessed to stand up after the baby blessing and said something like, "We want to acknowledge Sister X for her contribution, too." It felt a little forced and cheesy at times, but I think it was that bishop's way of including the mothers in the blessing process. I appreciated that the bishop thought about it enough to do something.

[Mrs. Funk]

How could that decision be anything but sexism? Good heavens, where is the harm in that?