My Kitchen Help
I saw a conversation on some social network somewhere where someone mentioned a television show called something like 1900 — where a modern family went to live like it was 1900. They were commenting about the fact that the wife worked 18 hours a day.
In a way, earlier time periods appeal to me. I’m especially drawn to the mid 1940’s. The culture, the clothes, the houses, the decor are all very attractive to me. I’d love to be surrounded by neighbors who have wives at home, children outside at play, very clearly defined black and white community values.
But then there’s this part of me that considers that on a normal day, I load, wash, and unload dishes into my dishwasher twice a day. I unload in the morning when I get up, and after lunch, it’s full and needs to be reloaded. I unload it during dinner prep, and re-load it after dinner.
That’s A LOT of dishwashing. I’m thankful that I live in an era where I have a machine to do the bulk of my dish washing for me.
I’m also thankful for my small kitchen appliances — the blender, the food processor, even an electric griddle. (Can you tell the inspiration for this post came while cooking breakfast?)
I could NOT cook the way I cook without my stand mixer. Well, maybe I “could”, but I wouldn’t “want to.”
Reading about the process for doing laundry in my America’s Housekeeping book makes me even thankful for my modern washing machine, dryer, and iron.
I could also go on and on about my Dyson vacuum cleaner, but that is probably a post for another day.
Without these tools I could easily work 18 hour days.
Now, if we could transport all of my appliances and the electrical upgrades to my house into a neighborhood in, say, 1946, that would be like the best of both worlds! ~heh~
Hallee
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Please forgive me for this post.
First I’d like to say to you, Hallee, and to your husband Gregg: From what I read here, I think you are both wonderful people who love God and are striving to do the most difficult and difficult task that anyone could ever do: raise Godly children. And, by sharing your experience through this blog, others can find motivation, inspiration, and help to do the same. May God continue to bless you to be a witness. Let your light shine!
As for this particular post, here’s where I disagree. In particular, before the industrial revolution, and even in the 1940’s as you mentioned Hallee, It wasn’t necessarily the “woman’s place” to do all the cooking, cleaning, and housework that a typical day brings. Back “in the day”, as it were, the man lived AND worked at home, and it was a team effort to get everything that needed to be accomplished completed. Not only that, but the CHILDREN were REQUIRED to pitch in and help from an early age. The work at the home took precedence over sports, extracurricular activities, socializing, etc.
As we “progressed” and men started working away from home, some of this family cohesiveness was lost, but even so in the 40’s men typically came home from work and took care of the things around the house they agreed to be responsible for (I get this information from my parents/relatives who lived during those times). Not only that but the children were STILL expected to “do their chores” on a regular basis. They were held responsible.
Today we find a very different culture. Children are encouraged to “be children”. To play, to have fun, to chase after whatever their heart desires, be it sports, hobbies, etc. To delay “growing up”. Just be a kid! The result has been that children have done just that. Even up into their 20’s and 30’s. They are perpetual adolescents without the training they need to mature and become responsible. They often learn the hard way what it means when you don’t pay your bills on time or what happens when you spend more than you have.
As society has moved from then to now, “gadgets” have become more an more popular. Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with a dishwashing machine, a vacuum cleaner, of a mixing machine. These things are wonderful aids. But, I also don’t have a problem with CHILDREN loading/unloading the dishwasher, running the vacuum cleaner, and assisting with the cooking duties in the kitchen.
I am not saying that those things do not happen in your household H&G. In fact I’m almost certain they do. However, this should be the norm, not the exception, as it seems to be today.
To my shame, I have learned all of this from my failure to “practice what I preach” in my own life. H&G, and others who read this excelletn blog- learn and apply!
Addenum: The whole reason I wrote this response: I opened this article expecting/hoping to read how your children were enthusiastic “Kitchen Help”. :-)
i can no longer live without my dishwasher….
I wish I had a dishwasher haha. However, I do have the rest and life would be much more difficult without them. I remember having nothing but the blender when we were growing up. Mixing cookies with a wooden spoon is no walk in the park.
I always think about how I would love to trade places with Caroline Ingalls….until I have to use the restroom…then I am grateful for our modern conveniences. :)
I hear ya! I would love to take our appliances, but live back in the 40s or 50s where traditional morals and values were in place. First, there was less crime by far!! None of my elder grandparents, aunts, uncles, ever recall this many pyschos out there committing random crimes. There were far less drug addicts (did PCP, meth, crack even exist then?). More respect for parents, God, teachers, community. Less focus on material things. Less STDs. Less teen/unwed pregnancy. More family values – meals around the table, going to church together.
Even as a woman in a fairly male-dominant career, I still won’t mind if “my place” was supposed to be in the home. Due to unfortunate and sad circumstances, I am a working mother in 2012. However, I wouldn’t feel any less of a woman if I were back in the 40s and 50s and all of my friends, family, and church moms were all stay-at-home-mothers.
And above all, what anyone says about male or females in society, according to the Bible each gender has very specific roles in the household/society. Somedays I feel like I am not following the Bible because I have to work, but as a widowed woman I have no choice. Still, I feel like my role should be at home with my children.
Not to sound like I’m passing judgement on you working, because I’m not…but, it’s the church’s job to take care of you because you’re a widow. The church in this society has completely dropped the ball in what they’re supposed to be doing versus what they actually do.