Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Double X Chromosome Factor

If I ever get to meet God in person, the first thing I am going to ask Him is why women make great girlFRIENDS and men make such inferior boyFRIENDS.

Before you shoot me down, hear me out. I'm not a feminist, gay or a women's libber. In fact, I'm the first to say "Why fight for something you already have?" in relation to equality. But it is a mystery to me why God didn't make this whole male-woman thing easier to understand and work with.

Now I'm not saying all that because I'm separated from my husband. That is simply the outworking of some decision making based on wisdom for my circumstances. But rather, because I look around me and I listen a lot and I hear a lot of women complaining about the lack of FRIENDSHIP in their relationships with their partners and I have to wonder if it isn't the Double X Chromosome Factor at play? Could it be that God placed in that extra part of the chromosome, the friendship data? You know, the listening ear, shoulder to cry on without having to fix you, the 'I'm going to ignore that you are emotional because you are hormonal' part. I can hear my husband gasping in disgust and all those scientists out there sighing at my total lack of evidence, but what if????

I firmly believe that life gives us feedback about our behaviors and it is up to us to listen.

Life has been telling me that men and women are different. Unfortunately, it seems that where men are concerned they are speaking a whole different language which makes the communication necessary for good friendship difficult.

Take for example shopping. When a woman goes to the shops she may have a list, but she is ALWAYS open to a bargain or something that she thinks will add a little something to the pantry or home. She's also open to a long chat with a girlfriend over the trolley top should their paths meet. She is by nature a gatherer. The last thing she wants is a hunter in tow who has never learned how to appreciate the value of shopping...you know...walking through many shops just having a look on the off chance something strikes the eye and excites the "I want" nerve. Nor the value of the girlfriend relationship, where you don't have to have a planned appointment to appreciate a cuppa, cake and chat. My experience of men is that they prefer targeted shopping and that you save all your listening credit up for them. They want to be able to find what they are looking for quickly, to pay for it by self-service, to not have to acknowledge another living soul and to get that thing home as quickly as possible so they can bend your ear about their day or ignore you while they watch their favorite programs or isolate themselves in the shed on secret men's business.

Now if you are lucky...obviously I haven't been yet...your partner will be a freak of nature that has at least an imprint of the missing part of the gene, causing him to be sympathetic, maybe even empathetic, of the behaviours assoicated with the double Y chromosome bonus package. He will respond to your invitations of friendship and lend you his listening ear, shoulder to cry on and be willing to accept your moans without trying to fix you. We can hope for a miracle!

When you think about it, Scientists, I can see a lot of evidence supporting the Double Y Chromosome Factor theory.

In fact, the evidence speaks for itself. Women have more chromosome, therefore they have more personality, emotions, tantrums, hair, hormones, bad days, creative ideas, and opportunities to do things that males cannot and would not ever enjoy.

So men, I say, "Get over it." Women will always want to spend time with their girlFRIENDS because of one simple factor, they have the same extra bits! They will always be able to do more in the same amount of time and with way loads more distractions. They were the improvement on the model, although, perhaps God could give us both an upgrade!

Of course, this all from a woman's perspective!