Housewifery

I felt the need to write tonight, but I don't really have much to share.  So, I asked for a topic and was given "Housewifery." Not that that is the correct term these days... This is a pretty good topic, though, because it's one that my husband and I are sometimes on opposite sides of.

From the time that I got pregnant with Yaya, I knew that I really didn't want to return to work.  I wanted to stay home, raise her, and keep her safe.  Now that we have Bumble, I want to give her the same advantages that come from having me home.  Sometimes the two of them drive me to the edge with their antics, and I scream and then feel bad.  Other times, though, they are the most delightful children, and I think we must be doing something right despite all the mistakes I know I make.  Good or bad, the one thing I know all the time is that I would much rather be with those two, struggling to teach them and raise them well than to be stuck in an office doing work all day that I could accomplish in a couple of hours.

When I began caring for other people's children while Julia was still a baby, my husband was appeased because I was contributing financially to the household.  There are times, though, when he laments that I'm not "more ambitious."  Sometimes I do wonder if he's right.  There are times when I feel like working mothers are looking down on me because all I do is take care of children.  It makes me a little sad and sometimes even furious.  I have a master's degree. I know French. I learned Braille in two months. I am educated.  There are certainly other things I can do, but my family is so much more important to me than any job.  I would rather work hard for them, than for an ungrateful boss who has no real stake in my well-being or that of my family. 

I'm a far cry from June Cleaver or the real life mothers of my elementary school friends whose homes were always immaculate when I visited.  But it is satisfying to see the finished product for just a moment when I get one room completely cleaned before the girls run in and pull something out. ;-)

Shortly after we were married, my mother-in-law gave me the book Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House. I must admit I've not yet read it.  Since this is my chosen "profession," it may just be time for me to sit down and read it.  I bet it will give me some great tips for being a better housewife!