Stream of Consciousness Sunday… a day late
I’ve been thinking about advocacy… the greatest advocacy of all being between a mother and child. The important moment when the easiest and best thing you can do is just be there. Stand up for them. Listen and understand the person you aren’t. I don’t have kids yet but I’d like to believe that in the moments when I don’t have words or an answer I’ll be strong enough to say I believe in you and to stand up. If I have a child, we’ll create a revolution of our own.
I heard the best story today from a coworker. Her daughter is 7 and well, she has masculine tendencies. She plays hockey with the boys, wants everyone to call her L instead of Lisa and… well she’s just not a girly girl. She doesn’t idenitfy herself with a pony tails and dress. Well, L came home extremely upset one afternoon. That day, each student had to make a paper cut-out of themselves (you know, the big paper shape of yourself?). L’s teacher insisted that she use the girl shape — the one with the ponytail and skirt. She told her mom “this just isn’t how I see myself.” She furiously wrote an e-mail to tell her exactly what she thinks of this silly project. She’ll tell her not to force her beliefs on L. But she stopped herself from sending the e-mail.
The next day, she walked into the classroom to drop L off. In silence, the teacher watched her cross the room and announce “just fixing something.” Then, she pulls a pair of scissors from her purse and cuts the ponytail off the paper cut-out.
“Just perfect.”
She said later, “the best I can do is be an advocate for her, whatever happens.”
Kat Kibben View All →
Kat Kibben [they/them] is a keynote speaker, writing expert, and LGBTQIA+ advocate who teaches hiring teams how to write inclusive job postings that will get the right person to apply faster.
Before founding Three Ears Media, Katrina was a CMO, Technical Copywriter, and Managing Editor for leading companies like Monster, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. With 15+ years of recruitment marketing and training experience, Katrina knows how to turn talented recruiting teams into talented writers who write for people, not about work.
Today, Katrina is frequently featured as an HR and recruiting expert in publications like The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Forbes. They’ve been named to numerous lists, including LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Job Search & Careers. When not speaking, writing, or training, you’ll find Katrina traveling the country in their van or spending some much needed downtime with the dogs that inspired the name Three Ears Media.