| The
Art of Making a Home
by Heather Hales, senior editor
The art
of basic homemaking and home management are being lost in generations.
Today's woman is not capable of tasks that the average women
30 years ago could do. Few women today: know how to sew clothing
(or a button for that matter), grow and can their own fruits
and vegetables, cook basic meals, decorate and "make"
a home. Many in our mother and grandmother's generations were
quite proficient in the tasks, but today's women aren't.
The world
is a different place then it was when our mother's were just
starting out. In 1950 34% of women age 25-34 worked, while in
1998 that number was 76.3%. Our societal values and economics
have changed.
More and
more women are working, which means that the needs of the family
have changed- no longer is there a need to grow your own vegetables,
darn your own socks or even clean your own house. If the family
is not at home, what then is the pull to "keep" a
home? Time is money, people are evaluating what items will cost
them in time vs. what an item will cost them in money. Many
choose to buy a $35 skirt rather than spend the 4-5 hours to
make the skirt for $20. With families spending more and more
time apart, the time together is very valuable causing money
to trump time.
Due to our
global economy the need for your own vegetable garden is preempted
by the .88cents you'll spend to buy a can of tomatoes. The tomatoes
can be grown, processed, canned and sold to you for a lot less
than it would cost you to grow and can it your self.
Why then
is there a need for homemaking at all? A few years ago a new
phrase was added to the Young Women's Theme: "To Strengthen
Home and Family".
In 1994
Susan W. Tanner the General Young Women's President said,
"We must prepare young women with skills, both temporal
and spiritual, that will bless their future homes."
President
David O. McKay said of mother's; "This ability and
willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and
eagerness, yes, longing to express it in soul development,
make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world.
She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will
influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits
of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy,
beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt
through generations to come, whose immortal souls will exert
an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall
have faded, and books and statues shall have decayed or shall
have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can
give, and the choicest blessings of God. In her high duty
and service to humanity, endowing with immortality eternal
spirits, she is co-partner with the Creator himself."
The need
for homemaking skills is just as important today as it was in
our mother and grandmother's generations.
"Managing
a home and family requires expertise in numerous areas, including
finances, time and resource management, child development,
interior design, teaching, nutrition, and cooking. Janet Peterson,
Preparing the Next Generation of Cooks".
This is
a tall order, are you up for the challenge? Whether you are
a mother who works in the home or out of the home, this challenge
applies to you. Let's make our homes a refuge from the world;
a place of knowledge and growth, a fortress of spiritual strength
and place to belong.
Here are
a few of our favorite places that can guide you in acquiring
or teaching the skills you need to keep a home.
Cooking/Nutrition
Finances
& Budgeting
Time
Management
Child
Development
Interior
Design
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