Honoring Men All Month Long

As retailers everywhere have been reminding us for weeks, Father’s Day is June 15.  But did you know that the entire month of June is a special time to honor men?  That’s right, June is International Men’s Month (IMM).  March was International Women’s Month, but the celebration went unnoticed, at least by me.

But, let us for a moment (or for 30 days, if you’re really into it) consider the issues in men’s lives that are important.  What are those issues? you ask. For guidance, let’s turn to Party Central for IMM: www.menstuff.org.

Menstuff® has picked one issue per day to focus their attention on.  In a quick once-over, it appears Menstuff has named all the biggies: Relationships, Health, and Work. There are a couple of unexpected ones, as well: Prison, Violence, and Isolation.  Hmmm.  These kind of go together, don’t they?

The site lists resources and provides commentary on all 30 of the chosen subjects, except for Isolation.  Ironically, the entry consists of one solitary quote:  “Aloneness is the prescence (sic) of oneself. – Osho.” I don’t know who Osho was, but he clearly wasn’t an English major.

I found a few facts I did not know about men, despite the fact that as a daughter of one, wife to two, mother to a pair, and best friend to another, I’m familiar with the species.

1. According to a survey by a science talk show on radio, men are more likely to have bellybutton lint than women.  The amount has to do with various factors, including hairiness and type of washing machine used.  And I thought it had to do with the fact that they never clean it out.
2. Speaking of hair, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, approximately 20 percent of Caucasian men will show signs of male pattern baldness by the age of 20.  Hereditary balding or thinning is the most common cause of hair loss. Sorry, kids.
3. On a first date, it takes men only 15 minutes to decide whether a woman is worth a second date, according to “Sex in America: A Definitive Survey.” Use your best material up front, ladies.
4. A man will have a better chance with a woman if he smells like her father. Scientists from the University of Chicago have found that women can sniff genetic differences and prefer men who smell like their fathers.  Sorry, Dad, but this doesn’t necessarily hold true in our family.
5. Married men who spend time with their family have lower testosterone levels than bachelors. This could be nature’s way of encouraging men with families not to be unfaithful, according to a study at Harvard.  On the other hand, “Lack of testosterone leaves men bad-tempered, emotional, depressed and suffering from Irritable Male Syndrome,” says a British scientist in a BBC interview.  Are we to conclude that spending time with one’s family leads to irritability and depression?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

Take time to appreciate your men this month. I’d like to wish a Happy Men’s Month to the men in my life: Father Christian, husbands Keeper and Starter (who lives on through his children), sons Thomas and Jason, and best friend Tom. You mean the world to me, even if you do have excess belly button lint.