Preaching to the choir

The little girl in me is crying right now. The grown woman in me accepts that, in general, women are in a much better position now than ever before. The grown woman in me accepts that a woman coming thisclose to the presidential nomination is a big freakin' deal and is a victory in itself. The grown woman in me knows that for the women I know, all of their professional goals are possible. The grown woman in me KNOWS that other women will follow the path that Hillary blazed and that someday there WILL be a female president.

But the little girl in me just sees the boy coming out ahead yet again. The little girl in me remembers being the only girl on the math team and being made an alternate even though I was the fastest. The little girl in me remembers being told I couldn't play baseball or football, no matter how much I loved those sports. The little girl in me remembers getting funny looks from adults when I said I wanted to be a Supreme Court Justice when I grew up.

The grown adult in me sees how much things have changed in just the last 30 years, since I was a little girl. I see that my daughter is more likely to get an advanced degree than my son. I see that my daughter won't get funny looks if she says she wants to be President someday. I see that the playing field is more equal now than it has ever been.

But for tonight, the little girl in me can't get past the fact that Hillary Clinton's mother wasn't quite right: in the end, she couldn't do anything she set her mind to. She could come thisclose. But she couldn't go all the way.