“No pioneer woman ever stepped on a Lego”
Since our family homeschools we read a lot of books.
No, really.
A LOT.
(Which is just fine by me. I even have my own bookshelf.) {wink}
I really enjoy reading about how women managed their households in the past. They didn’t have all our modern conveniences, but they didn’t have all our modern temptations and challenges either. But, even when I know that, I still sometimes feel like they were a better generation of women. But, is that really true?
This article by Mrs. Eva H. sums up the whole question really well.
“Put your everyday pioneer woman in our modern supermarket again and try to tell her that we can’t just buy anything named “bread,” but that we need to read the labels to know what is actually in it. Or that “whole wheat” doesn’t really mean whole wheat, and that those green beans are so sodium covered that it’s almost not worth it. Then there is the organic, which really just means that it was grown the way she would have grown it, but is so expensive that you can only afford certain items and then you should prioritize … never mind. She would stare at you as if you come from another planet and wonder how you remember it all. But we do. Or we try. As they tried.”
March 7th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Then, their activities focused around surviving and taking care of their family…which is what we do today. If someone asked a “modern” mother to scald the hog, cut up a chicken, bury the crock of kraut after making it, churn the butter and sink it in the spring, cook over the open fire, in the fireplace or use the wood stove to bake her bread (after planting, harvesting, grinding, kneading), make the clothes (after washing, carding, spinning and weaving the wool), etc, etc, she would have the same look on her face as the pioneer woman described! As your Grandma (who will be 91 four weeks from today) says, “The good old days? You can have them!! I wouldn’t want to go back.” The only thing she would bring foward would be the family closeness. But, that’s another topic!
March 7th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
It might have been easier for them in just plain simplicity, but they worked a lot harder and did not have the fall back things like restaurants or a frozen meal, etc. We have it easier in that we have lots of help with our work. I use a machine to knead my bread while I am doing other things. I buy clothes already made or at least material already made that I sew up. Many of the pioneers had to make their material to make their clothes. They did not have phones to interrupt them or the computer to take their time, or the TV. They knew they had to keep going and get things done or they didn’t eat or they suffered some sort of hardship.
March 7th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
I think it’s just different. Not better, not worse. Just different. I think we need to practice more self control, and we do have more temptations. But, we also can reap the benefits of modern life. In the end, it’s all about balance. Enjoy the modern conveniences for what they are, but then live life in a simpler way.
March 15th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Laryssa it is so good to see you blogging again! I have so enjoyed reading these new posts.You always have such interesting topics.
March 16th, 2011 at 8:32 am
Oh you’ve hit one of my favorite subjects! I so often think about this and use it to give me perspective. My life isn’t so tough. When I wonder how I can do it all I think to myself, “What would Caroline Ingalls think?” It helps.
Lisa~