Monday, September 17, 2001

On The Subject Of Women's Work

I like how the meanings of certain things have changed a bit in recent general aura of collective perception.  Actually no, that’s not a good way of expressing it.  What I meant is that I like how interpretations of certain things are better now.  More mature, more comprehensive.

It is the woman, the wife and mother, who is the center and strength of the family.  It is she who holds the family together.  The home is the dominion of the woman.

Being a wife and mother is *not* demeaning, degrading, etc. to women.  It is not a simple, trivial biding-of-time task to be a homemaker, which can be flippantly dismissed with a wave of the hand as "unimportant."

If we are to be open-minded to a woman that gets pregnant and brings forth life into this world, then by necessity we must also be open-minded to a woman who chooses to raise that very child.  we need to be appreciative to a mother who chooses to devote her time, energy, faith, and dedication to this task that is the keystone around which civilization revolves.

This is an enormous undertaking that requires an insane amount of devotion towards this goal.  The woman being wife, mother, and homemaker.

___finally exalted wives and mothers to the respectable status in society that they have truly more than earned.  We have at long last elevated homemakers to the status of any professional out in the paid job force.  Finally society is honoring them with the respect and dignity they have more than earned.  It is infuriating that some people think a wife and mother’s work is somehow less important than a dizzy carnival rider in the corporate rat race.  Daily office meanderings.

Previously he ignorant types have denigrated the woman by calling her a "housewife."  They sniffed with haughty derision disapproval, as if what they were doing was automatically better than her, as if she was beneath them.  As if somehow the work she does is unimportant.  They claimed her contributions to society are trivial.  I am embarrassed to admit that I fell into this claptrap myself before I finally slapped some sense into my head.

Why are her skills that are vital inside the home considered any less important than skills outside the home?

Let us examine the kind of work a wife and mother does. 

It is the homemaker spouse who is the leader of the family, makes the survival day-to-day decisions, and has to keep track of what everyone is doing. Marriage and family is not a business relationship.  The leadership role is not determined by the spouse who makes more money.  It is not about a wife being weak & submissive and walking two steps behind her husband.

Taking care of the family, raising the kids, *bearing* the kids, keeping track of everyone's schedules.  She is the one that keeps the family and homestead intact, together.  She does the cooking and grocery shopping, making sure everyone is well-fed.

What about raising children?
Guiding a person into a good and intelligent human being.  So that they are thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate individuals.  So that they may become productive members of society.  Socializing a child during their formative years.

You know, all the stuff that the media keeps saying the grade schools should be doing?  Nope.  That is not the school's job.  That is the parents' job.

(On an unrelated note, why do a disturbingly high number of western women hate their mothers?  I have noticed this in a large number of editorials and I don't get it.  It does not seem very feminist to hate the woman who gave you life.  But that is a topic for a separate essay.)

Just like you have to learn to take care of your finances, learn how to balance your checkbook, learn a valuable professional skill so that you can get a job when you grow up.  So too do you need to learn to cook food.

-- might sound silly, but harry potter.

I really like the American Girl books series for little kids.  I happen to think they kick ass.  the American girls book series have cookbooks and all sorts of historical facts that offer amazing insight into the lives of pioneer women and girls.  They cookbooks contain a lot of very creative and interesting recipes that are culturally aware.

I recall seeing an issue of a parenting magazine recently that talked about having a cooking theme at a child's birthday party.  I think that's a pretty cool idea.  There were suggestions on what types of food to cook that were small enough so as not to overwhelming to the little kids, but at the same time elaborate enough that they would be engaged and interested.  And it finished off with the idea of including a wooden spoon in the kids' party favors bags.
-- macl in middle

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