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| Just plain busy... |
We're born into the era we can handle, I'm convinced of it. I never would have survived in my mom's!
In her words:
As I grew older, I sometimes felt a lonely girl in a family
with eight brothers.
It wasn’t enough to be able to do the things they did, work
or play, as well as they.
You were still a girl with responsibilities that the
brothers didn’t have. You had to be Mama’s helper.
Mama and I, being the only females in a family of eleven,
were responsible for the household chores as well as the outdoor chores—the
chickens and the garden at harvest time, milking cows, feeding pigs, carrying
water and chopping wood.
There were also emergencies like chasing pigs out of the
garden and running after stray cattle.
We also killed and plucked chickens for dinner.
We had to have meals on time, clothes washed and mended,
errands run, the home tidy and clean, and to know where everything was, from
shoes to letters, and hammers to halters.
We did not sit with the men at the table but ate after they
were finished.
Mama was completely dedicated to her role in life. She never
complained but got her satisfaction from seeing members of her family develop
and achieve at work, at school, at play and ultimately reach their goals in
life.
To her, her family was her life.
Not an era I would have excelled in. (Mind you I don't excel in this one).
ReplyDeleteNope...don't thinnk I would fit in too well there either.
ReplyDeleteI definitely see the necessity of everyone having responsibilities and being vigilant in doing them, it's how families succeeded. But I don't understand the women eating after the men, that's the part that diminishes their contribution.
ReplyDeleteNothing says "you really aren't valued at all" like having to prepare the meal and then not getting to eat until after the people who matter eat. Sadly, something still prevalent in some cultures today.
ReplyDeleteYeah, no, me neither :)
ReplyDeleteThey were tough in those days and very capable too. Masters of time and motion management I'd say.
ReplyDeleteWe have it so much easier with all the "mod-cons" but I hear so many women complaining how hard they have it. They should all read this post of yours.