What does it mean to be a woman today? In 2005, with technology moving forward at a lightening speed rate, you may expect that equality between the sexes is moving along at an equal speed. But you would be wrong.

Domestic violence, sexual assault, unequal pay for equal (or superior) work, subtle discrimination in the classroom –these are all things that women deal with on a daily basis.

While boys and girls and girls brains are wired differently, biology is not destiny when it comes to professions. Today there are more women in so-called “male professions” than ever before. The news today is that you can do or be anything you desire. The only thing that really limits you is your own thinking.

Whatever your dream, you can achieve it. You will face obstacles. People always do. It is what you do in response to the obstacles that will determine when and if you meet your goals.

A dream plus unrelenting determination equals success. Success seldom happens overnight. It is the person who does not give up who fulfills their dream.

Frazzledmama is about celebrating and valuing women. Girls are raised to be quiet and good. They are taught that their value lies in their physical beauty. Boys learn quickly that it is a loud, boisterous voice that gets the most attention. In school, many teachers subtly and often unaware, favor boys and spend the majority of their class time helping boys.

Intelligence in girls is often viewed as unladylike and unfeminine. After all, we don’t want to make the boys feel bad about themselves or embarrassed that a girl might be smarter…do we? 

There are many ways that women are kept in their place. One of the most common is to keep women separate from each other, to create a focus on something and them get the women and girls to buy into it.

The focus on body image takes a lot of attention off of many other issues and often pits women against each other. Ninety (90!) percent of all people with eating disorders are women. It is estimated currently that 1-4 % of all young women in the United States have an eating disorder.

The size of your thighs has absolutely nothing to do with your intelligence or character and should not keep you from doing and going where you want.

Frazzledmama is about bringing women together, about sharing our wisdom. I believe that women have a lot to share with each other. It is time that we begin valuing ourselves for our characters, our achievements and our actions.  Frazzledmama is about moving past the shallow things that try to keep us separate. It is about creating a community.