I’m an Enlightened Housewife.
I’m you.
And by housewife I mean: HouseMom, HouseDad, Pet Parent, Aunt, Uncle. Etc. et al.
Like you, I’m in charge of a household. I am the glue keeping my family together.
I’m primarily tasked with caring for the souls entrusted to my keep.
Combined with work away from home, it’s time consuming.
Like, you, I find everyone else comes first. Partner, children, pets and bosses. The demands are incessant. We Housewives must always endeavor to keep something in reserve for ourselves.
Enjoying the luxuries of life while kicking the wine or chocolate/cheese habit down to an acceptable level if things get out of control.
And I can’t let things get too out of control here. I have five children. They are aged 9, 6, 4 and 2 (twins).
Ouch. And, okay.
That’s not you:
The American Birthrate is at an all time low, as elaborated on by the latest issue of Time:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2148636,00.html
By modern day standards, my husband and I have a large family:
Family outing at Golden Gate park, San Francisco. Dad’s a saint.
Raising our children is very time consuming.
I have my own interests to stop myself disappearing into myself from the demands of family life.
These include blogging, politics and swearing. Wine, cheese and reading.
My interests also include fashion, fun and sitting with my eyes shut.
Then I can’t see the housework.
I could describe myself as a Stay at Home Mom. Or I could credibly describe myself as a Working Mom.
Housewives today are a new breed of Housewife. We may foot it in the corporate or professional world. Or we may be tasked with managing the household financial interests.
Unlike our own stay at home Moms of the 70’s and 80’s, (Moms who sometimes stayed at home until they got divorced and wre forced into the workplace), we are able to take advantage of the opportunities offered in a more gender equal world.
We’re in the age of Leaning In. Some of us would rather stay home than emulate the wonderful Sheryl Sandberg but we’re cautioned by tales such as this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/grown-and-flown/why-i-regret-being-a-stay-at-home-mom_b_3402691.html
So we may start our own businesses, become professional volunteers or dabble in the arcane world of politics.
But the household and caring for others comes first.
We’re modern day Housewives.
Enlightened Housewives.
