Ah reading your words makes me So happy! i'm smiling that you've got kids that See and Honor and (even literally) feed you. I am a woman who loves her mother to death and I, too, had to learn how to stand toe to toe with my dad (who like many men of his era are 100% patriarchally programmed). I hated seeing my mom put up with that shit and so i fought him to stand up for her... and make a niche for myself, which i see more and more as i grow.

I think a huge part of my depression was learning to be myself in a world where the feminine is squashed, dishonored, shoved aside and not seen. As you mentioned your past partner was all about equality, but couldn't and wouldn't honor the "invisibles"(even though caring for children is the biggest job in the world, besides raising ourselves at the same time!) ... emotional labor is a huge thing that comes up in my household.. it is the top invisible labor women are trained and asked to perform all of our lives. I would make it a key class in middle school teaching kids to do their own emotional labor and not thinking it is the "natural" role of women to be listeners, nurturers... i could go on here... part of balancing the patriarchy is teaching us all how to nourish and listen to ourselves...

anyway! thank you for your beautiful reply and kind thoughtful words! it lit up my night :) and made me laugh... give your left tit... lol hopefully it can happen sooner and easier than that lol! and yes, have pulled out of my depression and gained A LOT of skills to fortify and heal myself... <3 that's what it's all about right! know you can always talk to me too ;) so thankful to find such nourishing connections on steemit, of which you are a primary one!! to much steemit success and making beaucoup bucks!!! XO wren