Hippie Papas were going through the rebellion right alongside their Hippie Mamas. Maybe they hadn’t expected to become fathers, but when it happened some were struck into action like responsible men, and others refused to claim it.
It isn’t true that Hippies didn’t work. Although under-employed, many had jobs to pay for food and rent. The jobs they held were varied. They worked as gardeners, cooks, carpenters, day laborers, factory workers, gas station attendants, or whatever they could find. Some of them held jobs for years and others went from job to job trying to help in whatever ways they could.
Some men were artists, writers, musicians, and poets. The muses didn’t pay well, so they opted to become “house husbands.” They did what they could to take care of the kids who often ran around naked playing in the sun or rain. The kids were a natural breed of humans living life in the environment their parents created for them.
Most of the women did not end up staying with their original partners, and many women had multiple fathers of their broods. This drove the social services department nuts.
The term URAM (unrelated adult male) was their solution. The men were often required to attend an interview in which it was determined how much if any they were contributing financially to the household. In many cases the URAMS developed into the life partners that enabled the women to finish school and get professional jobs.
The men also had wandering eyes and since it was a time of “Free for All,” they took full advantage of the offerings. It wasn’t bad, it just was. Both men and women were trying each other out to see how the relationships fit. Most of the women ended up in successful long term traditional marriages to someone other than the father of their children. The men ended up in relationships too, playing father to each others’ progeny.
(First published 3/15/12)
Further readings:
Creetus
Purple Princess
Pupule
Swap Meet
