It can be a status-symbol to have a housekeeper clean your house for you. I also read a great book by a Home Schooling Mother.
Too many people today spend their time "chilling" or "hanging out." It is certainly fine to rest and take breaks, but more and more people are becoming lazy.
Cleaning our own homes includes plenty of daily work. In the 1800's, farm wives had plenty to do at home. They made meals, did dishes, tended gardens, preserved produce, made clothes, and cared for the entire family. In the 1930's it was common to spring clean the entire house by emptying the contents, scrubbing out cabinets and closets, and even painting all the rooms. There was an attitude of work more than leisure in those days.
There is a way to efficiently clean so that it takes less time. There is a way to delegate certain duties to different members of the family so the burden doesn't rest on one person. But Mother is the head housekeeper. She is the executive maid in charge of the entire home.
She must be careful not to take on too many outside projects or responsibilities. Her work at home, caring for the family and home, is substantial! It is immense. It is one of the greatest jobs in the world.
When Mother can be her own maid, with class and style, she is setting a fashion statement for the culture around her - that staying home is something to crave - something of value, that girls should want to aspire to. When she does her job cheerfully and with pride, she sets the stage for a role many others will want.
Blessings
Mrs. White
* "A Survivor's Guide to Homeschooling"
From the Archives -
Ideas to minimize stress - Peace be Upon this House.
Tea Time with Grandchildren - The Importance of Formal Ceremony at Home.
What happened when I rushed ahead - Waiting for the Door to Be Opened.
Mrs. White's special book for homemakers:"Introduction to Home Economics: Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking."
Find stories of home life, with photographs of my home, in this encouraging book.
Paperback, 200 pages.
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3 comments:
Yes! Wonderful! :) Why has the word "maid" gained such a negative connotation in our society? Like it or not ladies, our homes are still a reflection of the "executive maid"! When someone walks into a messy or smelly home, the thought is either that the mother is too lazy or too busy to keep it nice. I love the last paragraph about "setting a fashion statement" and making staying at home something to "aspire to". Thanks for the encouragement! They say that fashion trends seem to cycle...hopefully this generation is cycling back into the love and desire of homemaking!
I think I have several "Maids" at home, my washing machine, my dryer, my dishwasher,my stove that does not required wood etc... so in a way we do have "help" and I agree even with all that extra "help" around, laziness can be a problem.
Our home is never perfectly clean, well our little ones are still very little and 3 little goose can make a beautiful mess in a hurry.
But on the other hand, I stay home, we rarely leave our home because of being barefoot :-)
But also because we want to be there.Home is a lovely place for us,a place to learn,play a place where our little one,yes do learn the art of homemaking. Housekeeping is a skill that needs to be learn, they and myself are learning together, and I think this is a beautiful thing that we can share our daughters and I.
Soon they will be all grown up and be able to help more with the cleaning, but for now, I do my best and as much as my weak body can do :-)
Have a lovely day
Renee
I like how you put it in regards to setting a fashion statement in our culture. So many "homemakers" make jokes about how messy their houses are and how filthy they become from watching their out of control children, no wonder it puts a bad light on homemaking. But done right, "staying home is something to crave"!
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