Well, I just asked her if she hates men.

She said, "I don't know any men."

Haha. She doesn't consider male family members as "men". They're just family.

Okay. That's interesting. Well what about in the abstract?

"I don't appreciate that I'll spend all of my days chaffing against the patriarchy and constantly having to defend myself, prove myself, and be expected to martyr myself to motherhood. Then still get sidelined, glossed over, paid less, and disrespected for my sexuality."

Sounds like she's got a firm handle on things. It's not "men" she resents. It's the gender box she'll have to fight her way out of to experience humanity in it's fullness. We should all be hating that. This is healthy, focused, and accurate.

Moving on? What about boys? Like, younger boys. Do you hate boys?

She looks at me like I've lost my damn mind. "No. They're children. Children get dispensation from society's scorn. Everyone knows this."

Dispensation? New word?

"Uh huh. It's been floating around for a while...", gestures to her head..."I like it. I'm going to try it out for a while."

I look forward to hearing about all things dispensated. What about boys/young men your own age? Do you hate them?

She looks thoughtful. She's considering how to phrase it, "Well....I have no desire to spend time around them because they're all obsessed with sex. It's dehumanizing to be seen as nothing but a vagina. But I don't hate them. It's just that...if a guy comes at you like you're nothing but a vagina, you can't see him as anything more than a dick. I can get a vibrator for that, that I can then put in a drawer and not be pestered 24/7. It's like, what you dish out gets served back to you eventually. I don't want dick. I want a whole person to be with who wants a whole person too. Or I'm good on my own."

Damn. Out of the mouths of babes, yeah?

Again. This is smart. Succinct. Healthy. Wise. Good frame of mind. I think she'll do well. I hope she finds someone worthy enough for her who can reciprocate in return. If that's what she wants. I think she's undecided about how much time and energy she wants to put into finding a partner or if she even truly wants one long term.