I think that there is something missing in today’s world.  Real men.

If you look at eras like the 1920s-1950s, men were much different.  They wore suits and hats if they had office jobs, putting the hats on whenever they were outside and taking them off inside.

The hat was an extension of the man, and his respect and leadership.  For example, men would tip their hats to women, open doors for women and get chairs for women.

People today might consider this old-fashioned or chauvinistic.  How dare a man call a woman “miss” or “ma’am”?  How dare a man hold a woman on a pedestal?  How dare a man be the leader of his family when clearly a woman knows best?

To be honest with everyone, I think this impression is wrong.  Sure, there were some men who whistled at girls as they walked by as a sign that they were attracted to them.  There were also some men who took this too far and would slap a woman’s behind.  However, I believe that overall, the men from these eras were true leaders and real men.

You can be a real man and not be a womanizer.  I think this is where society has gone wrong.

There is pornography and psuedo-pornography all over the place.  You want to try and talk about a man’s man being degrading to women!?  Take a look at society as a whole now adays.  THAT is degrading to women.

Some people cringe at the idea of the classic sit-coms, where the man comes home after a hard day’s work, and his wife is waiting for him, dinner prepared, their children sitting around the table etc.

However, in real life, if I had a job in which I worked normal hours, these scenes could easily be my life.  Tanya has made the choice to stay home as a mom, knowing that this is what is best for Linus and our family.  So, if I worked a 9-5 job, I would probably come home, Tanya would be cooking dinner and Linus would be running to the door to see me.

We’d eat dinner as a family, I’d clear the table and/or do the dishes and then spend some time alone with Linus so that Tanya could have some alone time after a long day of taking care of him.

Or, Tanya and I would have a relative take Linus so we could go to a church function.

The fact is, there is nothing wrong with this lifestyle.  There is nothing wrong with a man being the leader of his household but, not lording it over people either.

It would be one thing if I expected my wife to be in a pretty dress to serve me dinner, to bring me my slippers and a pipe, etc.  But, that isn’t the way I see things.

Rather, I think that men should be the workers and should have a certain level of respect given to them in that role.  This doesn’t mean a kingly respect, just a healthy respect.

On the flip side, men SHOULD put their wives and women on a pedestal.  Not in a base, crude sexual way like today’s society does, but in an honest respectful way.  Only a woman can bring forth new life, only a woman can be the very symbol of what nurturing is, and only a woman could be likened to the bride of Christ that is His church.

I honestly want to start holding myself to this standard.  I don’t like suits and ties, by any means, however, the fact is, every hero has a uniform and so does every leader.  That should be my uniform.

Men of those eras, men not afraid to be men, wore suits as a sign of their role and hats as an extension of themselves and their role.

I’ve talked to Tanya about getting a nice fedora hat to wear.  She wonders why something like that would have such a meaning to me and why it wouldn’t be a waste of money.  The fact is, it is a reminder to me.

It would be a reminder to hold myself to a higher standard as a man.  I am truly thinking of going back to the suit, hat and tie mentality because honestly, it reminds me of what being a man is about.

Being a man is about working hard for your family, or, if you don’t have a family, working hard to get to a point where you are financially able to hold your own and to prepare for a future.  Being a man is about being a leader, and understanding that being a good leader means knowing when to get the advice of your first-in-command, your spouse, your wife and knowing that she is just as important, if not more important than making decisions on your own.  Being a man is being willing to stand for something, regardless of the consequences.  Being a real man is to mirror Christ to others everyday through one’s words and actions.  Being a real man is giving it all and never looking back.

This is who I want to be, a loving husband, a caring father and a hard worker.  I want to be what a man should be, not the neutered sniveling slobs that we men have become.

I want my uniform.  I want my suit and hat in order to remind me every day of who it is that I am supposed to be.  I would wear them proudly and hopefully eventually inspire other men to do the same.

I am a man, and I will not apologize for it.  Sure, I can be rough around the edges and I am by no means perfect, but, I should not allow myself to be subdued, or to let my morals and initiative slip.  I should not need to be afraid to hold women, especially my wife, in the highest possible regard, including holding doors and all of that.

My roughness is always helped by the nurturing and smoothness that is my wife.  I could not live without Tanya and her willingness to put up with some of the more stupid things that I do.  However, she does respect me, and I respect her.  There is only one person who is a greater foundation of who I am than my wife, and that is our Lord Jesus.

So, yes, I want my uniform.  I want my hat and I want to be a real man.  No, it isn’t about the uniform, it is about what it represents and who God really call us men to be.  It’s time for us to bring back the real men, and not the watered down, sniveling cowards that we have become.  Christ was not afraid to be who he was at his very core, so why should we be?