Don't be depressed... be a mom!

Before I move on to Chemistry (Apologia) I have been reading random Science books from our shelves. Lately I have been working through “The Human Difference” by John Allen. He discusses psychology and how humans are “programmed”. One of the strange things about his writing is that he presents both a secular and conservative side to his points, and in speaking positively of both, he leaves much unclear and undecided. (Though it’s a good author who investigates and exposes all aspects of a subject, it’s rare that one would stay with the in-between, instead of taking the side of one or the other.)

Today the subject was “Women and Men”, and right now I’m working through the first half of the chapter, which is always the section presenting the more secular view. Once I got to the quote below of a troubled woman, I stopped, and would like to point out some things here that flashed through my mind as I read her sad, hopeless account of being a mother at home (or as a feminist might phrase it: a slave)…

“When I am by myself, I am nothing. I only know that I exist because I am needed by someone who is real, my husband, and by my children. My husband goes out into the real world. Other people recognize him as real, and take him into account. He affects other people and events. He does things and changes things, which are different afterwards. I stay in this imaginary world in this house, doing jobs that I largely invent, and that no one cares about but myself. I do not change things. The work I do changes nothing; what I cook disappears, what I clean one day must be cleaned the next. I seem to be involved in some sort of mysterious process rather than actions that have results.”

I am nothing
1. A women who is “nothing” when she is alone, is a woman without God. Only He can fill the emptiness of loneliness.

I exist because I am needed by someone who is real
2. If she knew she was needed by God, this woman would not be depressed. Truly, it is a great thing to know that we women are needed by men; that our fathers, brothers, and husbands need our love and care in the home to keep them sustained and encouraged. But to place all of our hopes, worth and existence in men will never satisfy, and without a relationship with Christ, one’s existence is indeed vague, and unimportant. Christ is more real than any husband or child; His meaning in our lives more deep.

My husband goes out into the real world
3. Real world? Ladies and gentleman, if we do not view our homes as “the real world” we are in need of serious help. Life begins and grows in the home. Future generations; leaders, teachers, rebelutionaries are trained in, and live because of the home. Without the home, there would be no family. When you tear apart families, you remove the foundations of countries, and the world would be a very broken place. The home is as real as it gets, and there could not be a more educational, safe, and well-rooted place as the Christian home.

Other people take him into account
4. This woman obviously is not around people who value her as a stay at home mother and wife. Those who are smart enough to recognize the blessing of mothers and wives will be grateful for the important role they play, and there are many Godly men out there who do express such gratitude.

He affects other people and events
5. Mothers affect the world; somewhere down the line in our future generations, a President, General or influential leader will live and lead because of one mother. Anyone who doubts a woman’s mark upon society is blind to her God-given role as a mother to many.

No one cares about housework but myself
6. A woman with a loving husband will be constantly assured that she is not the only one that cares for all she accomplishes every day. A hot meal, a clean house, trained children; this is something any good husband will be thankful for when he comes home from work, and unfortunate is the wife who isn’t told so.

I do not change things
7. True; as a “stay-at-home” daughter myself, I can attest to the fact that often the cleaning, cooking, and child training seems to never change… and always return in larger numbers. But in home schooling one can take joy in watching the children change, grow, and learn as a result of hard work.

I am involved in some mysterious process rather than actions that have results
8. The results of the blood, sweat and tears shed at home as a home-schooling mother is this: children. They are the results, and how worthy they are! Blessed is the mother who has children in whom she can place her time, effort, and delight as she watches them grow.