I've tried to stay out of this thread because, like big mick, it conjures up all sorts of thoughts. In many ways, my father is emotionally stunted, as are his 5 sibling from parents that loved them but didn't show it. My father is a great hugger, as are both my sisters, and hugging is a very important emotion for me. My father cries when his daughters get married or even when they call to wish him a happy birthday or father's day. Unfortunately, he is also the most critical person imaginable towards me. He wasn't always that way and I grew up in a household with a father who was very warm and not mr. macho. Through the ages, society has dictated what men will be like ... strong, the breadwinner, stoic ... and hasn't given them much chance to break out of that mold. I've never chosen men who were inherently macho ... preferring, instead, men who are secure in their sexuality and not fearful of showing emotion or their feminine side. It certainly hasn't been easy because men are raised with such a sense of their "machismo." BTW, harpgirl, I applaud you ... moonchild