Housewives...

[Hinter dem Horizont]

Depends on the context. A housewife, to me, is a dedicated person to a family and does everything that supports that family. They're constantly keeping the house clean and sanitary and provide everyone with food. If the male is weak in that regard then the house will fall apart. So, if the husband can earn enough money to support the wife to be a stay-at-home mother then I think it could be wonderful. Now, sometimes housewives have negativity pushed upon them. For example, sometimes they are considered lazy. Or, the fact that they're home all the time, they're bored and therefore it is easier for them to cheat on their husbands. But, if you take a Catholic woman that has morals, they could be amazing housewives. If that is their chosen vocation.

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Archaeology cat' timestamp='1292590017' post='2193165']
I can see the negative connotations with it. It's not a term I choose to use for myself, though I don't really have a specific reason for that. I choose to say that I'm a SAHM. It's not something I thought I'd be able to do and actually enjoy, but I surprised myself that way. Except for yesterday, when all I wanted to do was lock myself in a room by myself and/or scream. Both kids have coughs/colds and are therefore clingy and whiney, and I needed to catch up on laundry after being away for a few days.
[/quote]

This.

I don't normally call myself a housewife unless I am filling out some sort of paperwork that requires me to list my occupation. I will either list housewife or homemaker. But, most often, when people ask what I do I tell them I am a stay at home mom because my kids are largely the reason why I stay at home. If I didn't have them I'd probably be bored to tears and get a job outside the home, not because of a need to work but because I would need something constructive to occupy my time.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Hinter dem Horizont' timestamp='1293148536' post='2194188']Or, the fact that they're home all the time, they're bored and therefore it is easier for them to cheat on their husbands. But, if you take a Catholic woman that has morals, they could be amazing housewives. If that is their chosen vocation.[/quote]
just because someone isn't Catholic doesn't mean that they would cheat either. @@ and guess what, Catholic men and women cheat too!

and icey brings up a good point. when you have children at home, there isn't much time for boredom.

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1293204501' post='2194255']
just because someone isn't Catholic doesn't mean that they would cheat either. @@ and guess what, Catholic men and women cheat too!

and icey brings up a good point. when you have children at home, there isn't much time for boredom.
[/quote]

Truth.

[Hinter dem Horizont]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1293204501' post='2194255']
just because someone isn't Catholic doesn't mean that they would cheat either. @@ and guess what, Catholic men and women cheat too!

and icey brings up a good point. when you have children at home, there isn't much time for boredom.
[/quote]

Yes, obviously. I wasn't stating that a Catholic woman or man doesn't cheat. I was referring to the ones that don't. Obviously there are horrible catholics out there. And horrible people from other backgrounds.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Hinter dem Horizont' timestamp='1293330914' post='2194445']
Yes, obviously. I wasn't stating that a Catholic woman or man doesn't cheat. I was referring to the ones that don't. Obviously there are horrible catholics out there. And horrible people from other backgrounds.
[/quote]
and virtuous people of other backgrounds....

[AudreyGrace]

In my personal experience, I've heard the term "housewife" used negatively. Personally, I give stay at home moms more respect than a female politician, lawyer, on and on... Stay at home moms are everything. Nurses, cooks, drivers, entertainers, cleaners, friends, role models, dry cleaners, and probably alot more that I can't think of right now.
My mom made every effort possible to stay home with my brother and me until we were in middle school. I have to admit, having her around while I was growing up has made me appreciate everything that stay at home moms do.
Ideally, if and when I ever get married, I'd love to be able to stay home with my children until they are old enough, but I'm going to be able to have a career too in case I need to support my family.
I think that as Catholic women, the term housewife should be an honor. After all, Mary was a housewife. I think that the world needs to see that there are strong, beautiful women who choose to be housewives. Otherwise, the bad stereotype will never go away.

[rachael]

[quote name='AudreyGrace' timestamp='1294348468' post='2197447']
In my personal experience, I've heard the term "housewife" used negatively. [b]Personally, I give stay at home moms more respect than a female politician, lawyer, on and on.[/b].. Stay at home moms are everything. Nurses, cooks, drivers, entertainers, cleaners, friends, role models, dry cleaners, and probably alot more that I can't think of right now.
My mom made every effort possible to stay home with my brother and me until we were in middle school. I have to admit, having her around while I was growing up has made me appreciate everything that stay at home moms do.
Ideally, if and when I ever get married, I'd love to be able to stay home with my children until they are old enough, but I'm going to be able to have a career too in case I need to support my family.
I think that as Catholic women, the term housewife should be an honor. After all, Mary was a housewife. I think that the world needs to see that there are strong, beautiful women who choose to be housewives. Otherwise, the bad stereotype will never go away.
[/quote]
Why is that?
Shouldn't they both be given the same amount of respect?\

[dairygirl4u2c]

desperate housewives
nuff said

[AudreyGrace]

[quote name='rachael' timestamp='1294348846' post='2197449']
Why is that?
Shouldn't they both be given the same amount of respect?\
[/quote]

Well yes. I guess it's more because society praises them so much, but I feel like stay at home moms deserve just as much, if not more, praise for what they do on a daily basis. It's not that I respect them less as women, I just have a special regard for stay at home moms and the effort they put in to spending time with their children, even if their family incomes aren't the greatest.
Similarly, I understand that there are moms who are out there working because they have no choice but to, and they deserve the best too.
Hmm. I guess I just love moms! Thanks for calling me out so I can better watch what I say and how I say it : )

[cmotherofpirl]

As a "housewife" I have spent 28 years organizing, maintaining and running my personal 7000 square feet of the planet and raised several members of the next generation. A CEO definitely has better benefits and lots more money, but nothing would make me trade.

[tinytherese]

It all depends on the intentions of the wife/mother to stay at home instead of having a career. If she stays at home because of say a medical condition which prevents her from working (like one of my friends,) which disables her from working then I don't see the harm in that.

If she wants to stay at home to focus on the formation of her children, or that she can be closer to them, or even homeschool them, well that's great. I know that it can be very hard for a mother to go back to work after a maternity leave and to take him or her to daycare.

If she wants to do it so she can spend the day as she pleases, can spend her husband's money, and pays minimal attention to her children (even getting them a nanny,) hoping to be a gold digger well then those are definitely not good reasons. One of my high school teachers told me that one summer she was a nanny for two little boys whose mother was wealthy somehow but didn't work, yet the father was never heard of. The mother would not spend time with her sons, but instead was at the spa or wherever else she felt like going to. As much as my teacher had fun with them and saw what precious dears they were, she couldn't help but see that their mother saw them as burdens that she wanted out of her hands.

[Ed Normile]

Yeah you should definetly be ashamed of the term housewife. That would classify a woman as a mother who takes care of her family. This would of course make you less a person in the eyes of feminists, maybe even seem stupid or hokey to them and you would not want to be looked down at by feminists. They may even scoff at you or say mean things like, she could never handle a career! Its far better to never get married, unless its a same sex marriage, but, if you do get married you would not want to bring children into this overcrowded imperfect world! That would just compound the mistake you made by getting married and make you even less popular with the feminists. You may even be thought of as one of those religious freaks, living out God's will, man that would really make you an outcast.

ed