Working Outside the Home

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I have always wanted to be a housewife. Even when I was a little girl. Though my dreams and aspirations of being an actress or singer were rampant, being a wife and mother always strongly dominated.

However, when Matt and I first married and we decided that I would stay home and be the housewife, I struggled. I didn't know how to clean or cook or be organized, so I found myself in depression and dealing with boredom (though there was plenty to do). So I would go out and get a job. I even gloated over the fact that while it took Matt 2 months to find a job in Utah, I was offered 3 management positions within an hour period just by walking around the block. It had nothing to do with skills, rather the fact that when we both went into the workforce at 16, he went into retail and I went into the food industry.

Every job I took brought dire problems into our marriage until I left completely in 2006.

Throughout our marriage I've always been able to get a job quickly because of my experience with food. I also have the ability to brown nose like mad, and make my supervisors hear anything they want to. I'm a people pleaser. I'm a company girl. While my husband on the other hand is a man of the people. He is for the customer, and he's never brown nosed anyone in his life. In fact, while in High School I earned extra credit by kissing up to my teachers, Matt got his good grades practically by intimidation and standing on equal ground with his professors. His intellect far excelled mine.

Not being the bread-winner in a society where two-income families are the norm is a bit of a struggle. It's sometimes difficult to go against the grain. To fight back for the traditional ways that I believe once made society and families beautiful. But it's worth it. 

The Happy Housewife and Fascinating Woman in me struggles sometimes to remain silent and supportive, but the control freak inside is striving to find extra money laying around the house, and is secretly looking at classifieds in the paper. I don't lack faith in my husband's ability to provide, but something inside me needs to have control of the situation. I need to know the future.

As always, I look to Fascinating Womanhood, Happy Housewives and other inspiration for guidance, especially from that of my friend Liss, the Fascinating Woman. And go figure, she talks about woman in the workforce.

She states, "The fascinating woman must choose femininity. She must live the principles of fascinating womanhood to see the fruits for herself. Then she must look to her own person, her own family, her own situation and say to herself, “What is best for all concerned?” Not merely what is best for the children, or my husband, or myself but what is best for all? In all likelihood the answer will change from time to time. Now resulting in one answer, later in another."

I'm firm in knowing that if I needed to, I could easily acquire a job outside the home to help provide income should we absolutely need it. Skills I learned as a teenager taught me that. But for now, I will support my husband, pray for his continued success, and pray that my inner control freak will have a faith in him, and in God


Daily Gratitudes:

1. My hard working, wonderful husband was able to achieve a goal at his job this week now allowing him to take Sundays off. This is something that will greatly bless our life, and we're both very excited about it!
2. I heart that man ♥ 
3. We've both been fairly successful at our new healthy eating regime.
4. A husband who's wonderful enough to go to the store and get things for my poor sick puppy, including air freshener!
5. Air freshener that smells like apple pie!
   

Featured at: Homemaker Monday, and Coffee's On