The Beautiful Girlhood Doll, part 5: Home and Hospitality

Last updated on: January 26, 2016 at 11:45 am by Libby Anne

The Beautiful Girlhood Doll, part 5: Home and Hospitality 2016-01-26T11:45:04-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the defining qualities of beautiful girlhood is a love for home and hospitality. A young girl watches her mother and looks forward to the day when she, too, will have a family. While other girls are driven by wanderlust, the hospitable girl finds true contentment at home.

I loved being at home, and I never wanted to be anywhere else. My home was my father’s castle, and I loved it. While some of my siblings sometimes chaffed at not being allowed to go out and do things with their friends like other children, it never bothered me one bit. I would have rather stayed home anyway.

Because my parents believed work was good for children and because there was so much work to be done in our large household, we children all had chores. I don’t mean that we had chores like essentially every other American child does, I mean we had CHORES. For several years, I did all the laundry for the family, and after that I did all the cooking. In fact, children were given chores starting when they could walk. I actually did not mind having chores one little bit. I had a lot of work to do, of course, but I loved the sense of accomplishment when I completed it.

Chores were frequently segregated by gender. The girls cleaned bathrooms, did laundry, cooked, and cleaned around the house while the boys mowed, cleared brush, fed the animals, and saw to the upkeep of the outdoors. We all worked, but girls did girl chores and boys did boy chores. Within this schema, indoor chores and those involving the upkeep of the house were generally seek as the girls’ natural responsibility.

Caring for the younger children also fell to the girls, and this happened often. My mother had a lot on her plate, teaching high school, middle school, elementary school, and preschool while constantly nursing babies, and she needed my sisters and I to help out. And we did. I remember doing school in my bedroom with little sisters or brothers playing on the floor, or dropping everything to help make lunch or put a little one to bed. In addition, while we never had a permanent buddy system, I have to admit that I did play favorites, and some of my siblings would come to me if they were hurt rather than to my mother.

In addition to learning to care for children, I also learned how to run a house. When it came time for me to study economics, my parents found a course that taught home economics, including things like balancing a checkbook and creating a budget. I learned from my mother how to shop for a large family, how to find clothes on a small budget, and how to make ends meet. As I watched my mother running the household, I was inwardly preparing myself to do the same. I am very much an organizer and a manager, and I could not wait to practice these talents in a home of my own.

My parents entertained a lot, most frequently hosting other large homeschool families. My mother became something of a mentor to other homeschool mothers, and my father was always eager to help others. Before entertaining, we cleaned the house from top to bottom and then cooked lots of wonderful food. I loved participating in this process, enjoying both the business of preparation and the anticipation of time spent with friends.

My dad was also a strong believer in service to those in need, and we took meals to other families, helped out with yardwork, and watched other families’ children when they were in a pinch. My dad was the sort of man who never says no when he sees someone who needs help, and I watched and took notes.

My parents also had a Bible study that met at our house, and we would cook and clean in preparation each week. We children loved the event, because it meant we got to see our friends, enjoy good snacks, and spent the evening playing while the adults met together. In all of these ways, hospitality was very important to my parents.

This emphasis on the home and service actually led me to question the idea that I should attend college. I loved my life at home and I loved helping my mother. Why, I wondered, did I need to go to college when this life, here at home, was all I was meant to lead? College would not give me any additional homemaking skills, after all. Yet the expectation of college was so strong that I rarely gave voice to these questions and doubts, and instead focused on learning to keep house while at home and looked forward to the day that I would keep a house of my own.

For the next installment in this series, click here.

Previous Post

June 10, 2011

The Beautiful Girlhood Doll, part 4: Enthusiasm and Industry

Next Post

June 12, 2011 The Beautiful Girlhood Doll, part 6: Joy and Friendship

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to Philippians, whose name is above every name?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Lord God Jesus Christ