housekeeping

Since I've been married I have taken care of all the house work, because I've been working part time.  My husband faithfully takes out the trash, because that's something I've never been good at, but that's it.

Now that I am working full-time again, I'm sure we will share the house work more evenly.  And I'm sure some people will take issue with that.

I think modern egalitariansm has crept into our thoughts, that we consider the "despot" of the "oikos" must physically do all the house work in order to be a godly wife.  These younger, modern marriages, which share housework evenly, we conservatives think, are not quite biblical.

Just as a man is charged with educating his children, so a woman is charged with running the home.  A man may chose to delegate his educational responsibility to education experts in prearranged schools, rather than teaching the children himself.  Likewise, a woman has a plethora of ways to successfully, biblically, manage her home that do not involve her doing every last ounce of labor herself.

Personally, I have servants.  They are dishwasher and washing machine, and running water and electricity.  They are immeasurably useful to getting my job done.  They allow me free time in which I may do more refined sorts of home-making, like painting, photography, refinishing furniture, and gourmet cooking. 
I delegate other things.  I am not so handy at making suits for my husband, so I purchase them pre-made.  In fact, I purchase most all of our clothes pre-made.  I do not do all the physical labor myself because, at this point in our lives, I have bought a vineyard I must manage and work in to contribute to the nest egg.  My husband and I work equal hours out of the home, and in the home.  God is in favor of sharing labor.  It is a foolish husband who expects his wife to equal him in the business world, but maintain the home without his help.  It is a foolish wife who does not delegate some things to him in such a situation.

Especially crippling is a home-maker who does all the physical labor herself, that is, her children do not share the load.  They must!  What will happen to a young man's marriage if he never learns how much effort it takes to cook and clean for him?  He, later on as breadwinner, may eventually stop appreciating what his wife does all day futzing around the house.  And there is only a short step between undervaluing her work, and undervaluing her self.

So wives, do us all a favor and delegate.  Make your sons work.  (Let the fathers lead them by example)  Wash, sweep, cook, iron, scrub, mop.  Make them work so hard, that when they cease being sons, and are heads of their own household, they deeply appreciate what their wives do as they tend their home; even if just out of relief not having to do it themselves any more.