Today I went and gave my dog a kiss on the head. And I imagined about what I would do if someone ever did anything to him. In that moment, I experienced a rise in passion, which manifested as anger and aggression.

I paused and wondered if that feeling was wrong. I thought about all the people in my life who have told me that I’m too angry.

Feelings of aggression have been quieted and subdued by the current culture, in not only me, but in the people around me. And by subduing aggression, the core of parenthood has been subdued: protectiveness.