I’m Proud To Be A Homemaker
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I am proud to be a homemaker. Yes, I am also a blogger. But first and foremost, I am a homemaker. And that is a job that I’ve always loved and felt an affinity for.
In my early twenties, I occasionally went to staff parties with my first husband (he was a psychology instructor). People I met often asked, “And what is it that you do?”
“Well, I am a mother and homemaker.” Dead silence…
Being a Homemaker Wasn’t Popular:
Being merely a homemaker was not popular. This was the late seventies, the era of women’s lib. I strongly believe in both, and still do.
To me, being a homemaker is one of the most important jobs, along with raising children. This usually goes hand in hand.
To be a homemaker and/or mother, you have to have management skills. Be able to keep things tidy while cooking three meals a day.
Be able to multitask…
Think on your feet…
Handles crises…
Be creative…
And yet, women who stayed home were looked down upon.
I never got that. I loved everything about homemaking. Still do.
Learning to Cook:
I cooked a lot more back then, and I tried out many recipes. I could make a perky, pretty meringue for a pie! Browned to perfection.
Over the years, I taught myself a lot. I learned how to care for my girls and keep a home tidy and presentable.
I started taking college courses at 18, right after high school while a young mother. I was in my early forties before I actually finished that journalism degree.
One thing or another would happen, and I’d end up dropping out for a time. But the important thing is, I did finally finish what I started.
I enjoy washing dishes, cleaning, and doing other chores. I love looking around and seeing a clean, sparkling home, even if it is just a one-bedroom apartment.
I loved creating quilts, and I took pride in my embroidery skills. I reveled in decorating a home, and still do. Plus, I loved digging in the dirt and creating gardens. I still do that.
Learning Skills is a Worthy Endeavor:
I love learning new skills. Each one is an accomplishment.
I always loved reading, and you can learn so much from reading books. You can travel all over the world within the pages of a book.
If you take care of a home, you are a homemaker. You don’t need to make excuses for not having a career.
You can cook in your kitchen to your heart’s delight, then wash the dishes while staring out the window at leaves blowing in the breeze. You can vacuum your house and polish the furniture. And you can love doing it.
Homemaking is a career, a noble one. And if you are a homemaker, you should be proud of that. Because it takes many skills and attention to detail. It teaches you to manage your time and stay disciplined.
I’m proud to be a homemaker.
Beautifully said, Brenda. I have had many jobs, but my career has always been homemaking. It saddens me that women feel they need to look down on someone who has made a life of caring for others and finding self expression in domestic activities. We are all so much more than what we do. Let us just celebrate each other.
I, too, am proud to have been a homemaker and able to stay at home while my children were growing up. My children still thank me for spending time with them during those years, taking walks and playing games. I did occasionally work outside the home part-time when they were older. I'm still being asked what I do all day as if I don't do anything!
I see your post struck up some interesting conversation. I always looked at the 'woman's movement' as permission to just be, Me. Many hats and careers: student, homemaker, mother, teacher, artist, floral designer, daughter-caretaker, and now blogger and best of all, retiree. But the home, is where it all begins, and if that doesn't function well—neither can anything else. Interesting conversation, Sandi
Truly great post and one older moms relate to and pray younger women do a turn around and love being a woman and let men be men and the world would be a better place for all children. Children are young only once and if we get it wrong we cannot do it all over again but we can work or go to school, learn a new skill later in life and appreciate it knowing we are free to enjoy this time of life.
Thank you for your beautiful post. I agree, I love being a homemaker. I do have to work part time, because I was left a widow at such a young age. But my family and my home is where my heart is. I love creating a clean, lovely home. A place of serenity and peace from the storms of life. I love being a homemaker and a homekeeper.
Amen to Homemaking as a career! I have had many "jobs" in my life, none of which I ever considered a career, but homemaking has always been my favorite endeavor. Now that I am in my early seventies and "retired" I enjoy being "just" a homemaker and a grandmother. I've never apologized for not wanting a high-powered career. That just wasn't who I was or am. I stayed home to care for my children because I didn't have them for someone else to raise. I know that economically it put us behind, but life is more than the amount of money you have.
I am happy doing the things you love to do. They are what feeds my soul. It's fine with me that not every woman wants to stay home and be a homemaker. I am not critical of that choice at all. We all should be allowed to live whatever we feel is the best choice for us with no criticism. May it be so.
Great post, Brenda!