Are Men Necessary?

Needless to say it got me thinking. 

As a self-sufficient single mom providing for her son solo, maintaining a household, bringing home the bacon and managing to have quite an active social life - I often ask myself this question - "Do I really need a man at all?" I actually have visions of myself still being single when Benjamin is off to college.

It only makes sense, now that it's socially acceptable (at least in my hood) to never marry, that more women will choose to live their lives relatively man-free. Check out these stats on the number of women who are unmarried in U.S. states. I've tried it before and in my case, having a husband was a horrible experience. I know there are so many happily married couples and plenty of wives who adore their husbands but what if you just don't want one? Or what if you can't find one? What if I'm just one of the unlucky ones, or lucky depending on your point of view, who never ends up with a man? 

The bigger question here is what if it becomes a trend, especially since we can make our own sperm now. I don't think we should all go man-free. Maybe husband free but not man-free. And here's my list as to why - serving as a reminder to myself on why I shouldn't write men off completely.

1. The birds and the bees. The most obvious reason women do need men is sex. I don't think I need to explain that one. I know some women can go years and years without sex and feel just "fine" but I am definitely not one of them.

2. Man scent. Scientists have words for man smells, pheromones and such. Whatever you call that natural man smell I miss it often.

3. Heavy lifting. Men are very good for lifting and carrying heavy things or for fixing things around the house. Sure women could do all of this as well but there's something about a man's energy in your house.

4. Fatherhood. An essential ingredient to raising a human being, fatherhood can't be overlooked or dismissed and believe me, even though I know Benjamin will be fine without his around, it would be great to have one. I don't think any single mom wishes or wants her children to be fatherless.

5. Laughter. Men make me laugh - a lot. Okay, so maybe it's because I'm laughing at them, but I just find men adorable. And no, I could never live without my man induced giggle fits. 

Why do you feel men are necessary? And this is just one step on my road to post bad boy recovery. I'm working very hard on seeing the bright side of men. Help me out if you can with more of your own reasons.