I am proud to be a homemaker.  I believe homemaking is nearly a lost art.  Since women have shifted from homemakers to being working women, it seems that working women pride themselves on the fact that they are working women (feeling some level of pride or human right being able to compete with men in the workforce).  I am glad and very thankful that women are able to work and compete for jobs with men, but I believe our sense of value in ourselves is misplaced when only based on our careers outside the home.

Nowadays, it seems that home life is an afterthought.  It is just what happens after you come home from work and the kids come home from school.  It has become (for many families) just downtime from school or work– grabbing some food and many times eating by the company of your favorite television program.

On the other hand, I am a conscious homemaker.  I see homemaking as a meaningful, fundamental social art.  I put a lot of thought into how I raise my family because I know that the rhythms, the rituals and the structure that I set up will have a lasting affect on my children and my husband.  What we do as homemakers shapes who our little ones turnout to be, affecting their feelings of safety, security and self image as well as their paradigm of the possibilities in this world.  It also creates a meaningful foundation for our husbands to operate from to be successful the the world.

Meaningful Family Rituals:

“It’s What We Do”– if you and your kids can say this about something your family does, then you have successfully created a meaningful family ritual.

-Dinner together at the dinner table starting with a blessing at the beginning of the meal. (This creates a feeling of security in the rhythm and unity of family being together on a regular basis.)
-Family game night.  We sit down as a family to play a board game. (This creates a feeling of unity, fun and family commeradarie)
-Making blueberry pancakes on the weekend.  (This creates a feeling of specialness to have a relaxed morning of cooking and eating together.)
-”Special Time” is at least five minutes of individual time every day with each child: sitting down with them, telling them (in the same way each time) how much you love them and doing an activity of their choice for five minutes. (This fills their resevoir of feeling love, self worth, individual importance; creates positive reinforcement and a feeling of security in a repeated ritual)
-Teaching my children how to do a household chore and reminding them to follow through with it at the same time every day. (This creates a feeling of accomplishment, capability and responsibility.)
-Making something from scratch with your hands.  Baking, cooking, gardening, woodworking, or building with materials such as cardboard, paper, wool or fabric. (This creates a feeling of self sufficiency, capability, and an understanding of creation.)
-Making a conscious effort to do something new together as a family (This creates a feeling of adventure, excitement, novelty, discovery, a departure from our everyday lives.)
These are just a few of many.  Every family can create their own family rituals.  The important thing is to see homemaking as an important mechanism to influence and shape the physical, emotional, social (and even spiritual) well being of your family.

Happy Homemaking!

Your Sensible Girlfriend