Is It a Man's World?

So Pretty Lady You Want To Be A Man?

By Janeal Mulaney

How do you answer a question like that? Well if you are a woman and you work in the construction field, you first need a thick skin and a quick wit. I found this out a long time ago, and both have served me well. I count the man who asked me that question among my friends, and that question is still the way, many construction workers think. After all you are walking into a domain, which has been basically held by men for centuries. So why should they change their attitudes to deal with you?

Sexual harassment, they consider you being there as sexual harassment. After all fifty years ago they started working in this field so they could say anything about their wives, and females in general, without having to sensor their tongues and thoughts. Now you are invading their space, where they can let loose their outrage, desires and some even their fantasies, whatever you want to call them. Now they are told they can no longer speak their minds, say certain wards, or act the same as they once did. Why, because it may offend some woman. Their idea of it is, if you can’t stand the heat get off the job site, we didn’t ask you to go to work here. They’re right! They didn’t, ladies you filled out that job application, so instead of taking everything to heart, grow a thick skin. You will gain their respect, and become their friend instead of their judge.

Yes, there will be some men and women that no matter, who will not like you for whatever the reason, but that happens in all work places. My suggestion is learn to avoid, or ignore the men and women you don’t get along with. Respect the men and women you do. (If you notice I added women to this part, because I’ve run into women on constructions sites that did not like me, after all it is not just a man’s world anymore.) Prove you are not there, just for eye candy, but you are willing to get the job done in the least amount of time. Work just as hard, if not harder. Have a witty comeback for all the stupid questions they ask, or the things they say and do, after all you work with them, get their point of view on the stupid things your spouse or boyfriends come up with.

Think of them as a co-worker first, person second, friend third, and a man or woman last. Now I’ll tell you the answer to that question. So pretty lady you want to be a man?

“Yeah and you are my role model for becoming one, so when I grow up, I can be just like you.”

We have been friends from that day on. Yes I worked hard, I showed him respect and he showed me respect. We laughed, we joked and we talked about family, home, health, religion, and yes, even politics. I no longer work for the company, but we still call and keep in touch.

Ladies in construction can and will work, but women need to do their part to get along, as well as the men do.

We're Running Away

We’re Running Away


By Janeal Mulaney



As a mom you have thousands of humorous, sad, wonderful, and scary moments, after all much like the Tammy Wynette song goes, ‘Kids do say the darndest things,’ and what they don’t think to say, they think to do. So part of a mother’s job is to be quick on her feet and have an even faster wit, or come up with a reasonable answer for any strange question in which her children can think up. Mothers have to have a great sense of humor, a firm hand and a loving touch. These are the three things I learned over twenty-five years of mothering.

I could write at least three books on the things my children have come up with over the years, but today, I’m only going to write about one.

This is the story of my run away children. I had just delivered my third and last child, he was a big baby and I was told by my doctor I would have to take it easy for a few months for my body to heal. I was not allowed to lift anything larger then my baby, nor could I bend over, which was hard on the older two for they were use to mom picking them up, playing with them, and helping them pick up their toys, along with what ever else I was needed or they wanted me to do.

During this time we were living in an apartment on the second floor and since I wasn’t allowed to carry anything down the stairs, or up them. I had no choice but to stay in the apartment with all three kids, unless my husband was home too.

So one day, I had asked my wonderful children to clean up their room, not only was the room in a bigger mess two hours later, but my two beautiful children were fighting at the top of their lungs. So I put them nose-to-nose for five minutes, this always stopped the fighting for soon they were laughing at each other and themselves, but this day, after they were released they soon decided the best plan was to blame mom.

Since I was so mean, they decided they would run away from home, and go live with grandma. Being the oldest my daughter came out to tell me about their decision.

I told them if they really felt that way then by all means they should go, but once they left they couldn’t return. You will have to take everything you want with you now. She returned to their room, and I listened to them ponder how they were going to take all their toys with them, but they decided they could manage by packing them all in their little red wagon. They picked up everything they could put in the wagon, and they were ready and rearing to go. My oldest was the spokesperson once again.

“Well mommy, guess this is goodbye,” she said matter of fact.

“Yeah I guess so, have grandma call me and let me know that you’ve arrived safely, okay.”

My youngest had tears in his eyes, but never cheeped a word. He just held on to the handle of the wagon. My daughter opened the door and they moved the wagon out onto the small landing in front of our apartment, and then shut the door. I watched through the peep hold as they sat down on the first step. They had around twenty steps to walk down then turn on another small landing to get down the other twenty steps.

“If you take the front of the front of the wagon and I take the back we can go down with the wagon,” my oldest said.

“No you take the front and I’ll that the back, I don’t want to climb down the stairs backwards.” My little boy said.

“Well neither do I,” said my little girl.

“Just ask mommy, she can do it, and then we can be on our way.” My son said.

She opened the door, as I picked up the phone.

“Mommy can you help us take the wagon down the stairs, please.”

“Oh you’re not gone yet, I was just calling grandma to let her know that would and your brother should be arriving in three or four days.”

Her eyes looked at like saucers as they widened with each word I said.

“Three or four days!” She squealed.

“Well yeah, it might take you longer, I’m not sure how long it will take to you both to travel by foot to Lamar, it might take you longer then that. It’s about a hundred miles from here to there.” I said, calmly.

“Uh, okay,” and she stepped back out the door.

“ I went back to watch through the peep hole, while she told her brother the news.”

My three-year-old son looked up at the door with huge tears streaming down his face and said, “I don’t want to go, sissy it’s about lunch time and I’m hungry. We didn’t pack any food.

“I don’t either, I hate the dark and we don’t have a flash light either.” She said.

“Do you think mommy would let us come home?”

“I don’t know, we would have to clean our room.”

“We can do that,” he said with a smile.

“Okay, than we’ll ask.” She got up and politely knocked on the door.

“Mommy, if we promise to clean up our room, can we come back home?”

“Um, let me see, I’ll let you back in if you promise never to run away again also.” I said.

She turned towards her brother, who nodded his head and they brought back in their wagon, and silently went back into their room.

An hour later they came out, our room clean mommy. They chimed in together.

I kneeled down in front of my children and hugged and kissed both of them.

“I love all of my children. Not just your baby brother, but sometimes you are going to have to understand, I can’t do all the things right now, that you are use to me doing with you.” I said sadly, “but I did fix you some lunch are you hungry?”

They both headed for the table and I served them their favorite meal sandwiches and chips.