My Turn: The boys chose me

By Marjorie RitchieDuring my teenage years in the 1970s, I was somewhat envious of those Southern girls who became debutantes and had “coming-out” parties where they were introduced to society. The only “coming out” event I had was coming out of the woods after my mother caught my brother, Shep, teaching me how to smoke a Marlboro cigarette.My three older brothers introduced me, their only sister, to a boy’s world of playing baseball, shooting 22s and catching catfish.

As debutantes were putting on their long, white satin gloves and high heels, I was putting on my brother Tom’s old baseball glove and my blue Keds. While Emily Post instructed Southern belles how to speak politely, my brothers taught me how to talk like a sailor in the back of our family’s ‘67 Dodge Monaco wagon.My parents were shocked when the Olan Mills family portrait revealed that I looked more like Huck Finn than pretty Heidi.



It was then that they decided to enroll me in ladylike training such as ballet and piano lessons. They feared I might end up in reform school where one of my brothers once spent a year. Without a doubt, practicing Beethoven on the piano in Miss Estelle’s creepy, old Victorian house was much scarier than watching episodes of “Gunsmoke” with my brothers.

Boys will be boys as some people like to say. And boys should be boys, not girls, or anything else because God designed them that way. Since the Lord formed Adam out of dust, boys are comfortable getting dirty, and girls should be thankful for detergent.

I miss some of the TV shows of my childhood, such as “Father Knows Best” and the adventures of “My Three Sons” whose characters respected and admired their fathers. In the ‘70s, Hollywood began its campaign of ridiculing men and their traditional roles as husbands and fathers. Ward Cleaver and Andy Griffith were eclipsed by Archie Bunker, the bigoted, blue-collar character from Queens.

Unfortunately, we knew some Archie Bunkers in our town, but we had never met anyone quite like Edith Bunker’s cousin, Maude, the outspoken liberal feminist who had issues with men. Slowly, but surely, television shows such as “All in the Family,” and “Sanford and Son” helped to undermine respect for the American male, both Black and white. While husbands and fathers were portrayed as buffoons with low IQs, feminists like Gloria Steinem were marching for equal rights, and Jane Fonda was betraying our brave boys fighting in Vietnam.

Prayer had already been banned from schools long ago, and the women’s liberation movement was surging ahead.As the ‘80s and ‘90s rolled around, most men had no problem with women receiving equal pay for equal work. A few guys even encouraged women to run for president.

Ultimately, the secular humanist values of Hollywood and the strident message of feminism have disparaged the important role of biblical manhood in our culture. Children yearn for wholesome male role models, and they need Christ-like fathers who demonstrate leadership and responsibility in the home. It is now time for a better version of “Family Guy.

”When I was adopted by my wonderful aunt and uncle, their three sons became my brothers. Because they loved me, my brothers wanted me to be a part of their world and all its adventures. Tom defended me from bullies, Shep comforted me after bad dreams and Gus taught me the rules of baseball.

And before my husband chose me to be his wife, he had to earn the approval of my brothers, as well as my father.Some siblings prefer their sisters, but I will always prefer my brothers. Like courageous cowboys, they fearlessly rode out into the desert and rescued me when I needed them the most.

I am thankful for those rambunctious boys who grew up to be God-fearing men.Marjorie Ritchie lives in Gold Hill where her brothers enjoy visiting.The post My Turn: The boys chose me appeared first on Salisbury Post.

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