Housewife.
It’s that dirty, not-so-little word no self-respecting woman wants to call herself. Somehow that one word has gone from being the epitome of a wonderfully fulfilling life to the absurdity of mindless oppression. Even if we do manage to get past all that, we end up shamefully qualifying our title with the word “just” as in:
I’m JUST a housewife.
The word JUST implies it isn’t a very big or very important job. It doesn’t really take all that much time or energy, and if we were really honest, a monkey could be trained to take our place tomorrow.
But, we know better, don’t we?
Being a housewife is hard work. Making a house a home is no small task. There is always something new to learn and do. It takes brains, guts, and a heart the size of Texas.
In this day and age, it also takes determination. There are so many things vying for our time and energy, and so many forces bent on destroying our vision and knocking us down, how in the world do we keep going? Here are just a few things you can do and few resources I’ve run across to help you along your way…
1. Connect with others.
I want to address something right off the bat here…it is imperative you find someone in real life who is striving to be a godly homemaker. The internet is wonderful for connecting people, but it doesn’t hold a candle to a living, breathing human being sitting on your couch talking to your face. So, please try very hard to find someone who is walking this path alongside you so the two of you can be an encouragement to each other. Beyond that, definitely connect online with communities that are edifying and encouraging. Stay away from those that tend to breed discontent. Avoid allowing the virtual world to take over your real world.
2. Continue your education. No, I don’t mean go back to college (although, I will touch on that in a moment…) I mean your HOMEMAKING education. Invest in tools and resources that help you be a better wife, mother, and homekeeper. Study your Bible with passion and vigor. Find books, CD’s and DVD’s that spur you on. Make a list of resources you’d like to own (see my list of homemaking resources I’d like to own!) Even if you can’t afford everything on your list, you can surely find a bit of money here and there to purchase a little at a time, or ask for different items as gifts for Christmas or birthdays.
Now, about college. I’m not against college, but feminism does run rampant there. That said, there are sometimes classes that could be worth your time. I am forever grateful for the semantics class I took in college because I ended up having several children with speech issues that I was able to correct at home due to the fact I knew how the tongue and mouth formed those sounds, and I still wish the sign language class hadn’t gotten canceled my sophomore year in college.
3. Have an attitude. There will be days when being a housewife feels overwhelming. On those days, you will need to have an attitude…an attitude of prayer, an attitude of contentment, an attitude of joyful obedience.
I’m always on the lookout for ideas, websites, and resources that encourage the housewife. Here are few of my top picks for the week…
{click on the images to learn more!}
Building Her House
by Nancy Wilson
Holy Housewives
Forum & Book Discussion
Starting June 21
New website to encourage
the raising of daughters
who can make a house a home.
Twenty-Four Hours Is All You Get
from Susan Bradrick
This CD is full of home management tips!
I’d love to hear about any resources or ideas you have for encouraging housewives! Remember, we learn from each other!
Annie Harbert @ Beauty in the Surrender says
Wonderful post! I enjoy staying home and taking care of my family through the service of being a house wife. Before I stayed home I worked longer hours than my husband did and wasn’t able to take care of my family the way I should. I used to think that I would be wasting my degree if I didn’t work and that I could be that one woman who could balance work and family life. WRONG!
JessieLeigh says
Oh, how true this is… and I think it’s just another example of how divisive motherhood can be too. So often, SAHM’s (housewives) view our sisters working outside the home as inferior mothers and homemakers and WOHM’s view housewives as being lazy and unable to handle “real” work. I’ve felt the sting of one too many “What do you DO all day?” comments that sometimes makes me wonder if what I’m doing IS somehow not an accomplishment. The fact that so many surveys make me label myself as “unemployed” doesn’t help either. 😉
Fruitful Harvest says
Hi Amy~
Great post once again~
I remember reading a simular post on your blog…..and ever since then when someone or paperwork asks occupation, I now say HOUSEWIFE/MOTHER…..not CEO or DOMESTIC ENGINEIR!…..and I always think of you and you post! (and smile BIG!:)
Warm Blessings,
Georgiann
Christine @ Live to Learn says
Love this post of yours! This was so encouraging to me today.
Kate says
I think one of the biggest things we can do is stop saying “just.” We have the biggest, most important job there is. We are on 24/7. There is no sick leave, no vacation. There is no pay. There are no breaks, no work limits. And raising the next generation, that’s crucial. Doing it well is even more important and requires even more work and time!
I’d encourage every mom to find a playgroup of local moms who are in their shoes and meet regularly. Allow the kids the time together and the moms, too. We have a playgroup of moms from our church with kids the same age as my oldest (mostly). It’s a good setting, and filled with women who feel being home is the Biblical thing to do.
A note on college: my husband and I think it is increasingly useless for certain people. I have a degree but I’m not using it. I barely ever have. Why do I need it? And besides that — life experience is SO much more important than anything in a textbook! We think the pressure on women to have to go to college is ridiculous. It should entirely depend on what the young woman wants to do with her life. If her answer is, be a Godly housewife and mother, why should she need to go to college? Feminists would rip me apart, but seriously. It’s doing women a disservice to tell them they ought to keep up with men. They shouldn’t. People should seek only the education they need to fit their life plans. It shouldn’t be a matter of course the way it is now.
gojigirl says
I agree whole-heartedly with your comment Kate! I’m thankful I didn’t finish my degree, as it would have been a mountain of meaningless debt. My place is here, training my daughters. [no boys yet 🙂 maybe someday] As it is, we’re still paying off my student loans.
In extension of your comment, I’d like to remind us all that college isn’t mandatory for the head of the household either. My talented husband did receive a degree for continuing his education – he earned a paycheck. 😉 By the time we married, he had already trained with an electrician, a general contractor, and a plumber. These skills, in addition to his strong work ethic, have provided for us in so many ways. Additionally, he has greater job security than many of his peers with “higher educations”.
Christine (iDreamofClean) says
Moving from a corporate career woman to a SAHM was a major adjustment for me. It was definitely the best move for our family and being at home IS a job! Even if others don’t see it that way. I don’t technically use my degree but the same attitude and vigor I used in college, athletics, and work is very useful for my “new job” at home. Your point about staying/getting in the Word is absolutely true! As a Christian, having a relationship with Jesus and spreading his fame is what life is all about. Being at home (and getting outside the home) allows for more opportunity to do His work!
Cornelius says
Twitter strikes again. A follower(reader) of yours tweeted the link to this post. Glad I is that I clicked through. Solid reading.
I can never emphasize enough the remarkable value to the world at large that being a housewife is. I can never emphasize enough the remarkable honour it should be, both to those that encounter housewives AND those that are housewives. I’ll say it again …. I can never emphasize enough!!!
I hope and pray that any men reading this will be convicted to honour housewives, whether and especially if their spouse is one and others that they meet. I hope and pray any women reading this are encouraged to view being a housewife as not “just” a role but as or more honourable a role as any on this planet.
Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Cornelius says
p.s. this post may go viral …. I retweeted it as well as linked it on FB. Just doing my part to get the word out there, even if it’s someone else who wrote it. 😉 😀
Amy says
Thank you very much! I appreciate all the words of encouragement!
Crystal B. says
Thank you again for yet another timely post for me. One of my favorite books on housekeeping is Margaret Kim Peterson’s “Keeping House, The Litany of Everyday Life.” It discusses how holy housekeeping is and how it does align with Biblical principals. I check it out regularly from our library (I’m saving for a copy for myself). And of course, Edith Schaeffer’s “The Hidden Art of Homemaking” is a must have.
Amy says
I’ve read Edith Schaeffer’s book, but not the other one! Putting it on my list right now!
Emily says
Thanks for the advice!! Flylady.net has greatly helped me! Check it out!
Tammy (wewinnow) says
I highly recommend anything from the Bradricks. We used to buy beef from them and spent some time with them on their farm. They are such a wonderful family!
Amy says
How neat, Tammy! I’d love to meet them sometime.
Jamie says
I have learned so much from Laines Letters (online). They are very informative letters to women from a godly woman. The letters are on diffrent subjects, from raising children to loveing your husband….. and on and on!
Reggie says
Looking back, I wonder if I ever inserted the word ‘just’ into that statement. I honestly don’t remember. I always wanted to be a wife and mother, from the age of ten or so. While I don’t say this in a spirit of pride, I personally feel the title of ‘Mama’ or ‘housewife’ is the most important in the world and do not ever intentionally play it down. I know those who will never be called this precious word so while I do have days I wish I could call in sick, I try never to take it for granted.