We were just having a lighthearted convo and I (M45) was sharing some feelings I have about some pop culture topics and my wife (43) and daughter (15) very derisively told me how no one cared, especially them, about what I thought, with the definite undertone of me just being an overbearing man trying to hammer them down with patriarchal opinions.

For some reason it really hurt. Of course they are allowed to feel that way and I fully believe that the patriarchy is real and a problem. I am a huge fan of these amazing women in my life and part of me loves to see them embrace their full womanhood without referencing men.

But these are my best friends and the most important women in my life. I would sacrifice anything and everything for them and their happiness and well-being without a second thought. I literally have sacrificed so much for my wife to stay home (her choice) and to raise my five kids and I don’t regret it for a heartbeat. Is it too much to feel like I am taken seriously and that people care about my feelings?

I dunno, I’m all for burning down the patriarchy until the women I treasure in my life lump me in with all those misogynistic bastards out there who deserve to be taken out (intentionally irony). I can’t imagine ever telling either of them that I don’t car about their feelings because I’d their sex.

Go ahead, tell me how clueless I am… :(