Am I Raising a Homemaker?

I do not have a Type A personality, per se. I'm a little on the control freak side of the spectrum (ahem...depending on who you're asking), but I'm definitely not Type A. There are certain things, however, that I feel the need to control...it's something I'm working on, because I'm never in control - God is (not to mention that it makes tasks really difficult to give to someone else to handle!).

For example, I have a certain places for every dish in the kitchen. If something isn't where it's supposed to be, if it isn't where I can go straight to it and grab it when needed, it irks me.

When cooking, I want to get things done. Period. I like being in the kitchen, but I almost always have a house full of starving kids, and adults as well. Get in, get cookin', and get it on the table, STAT.

And laundry? I wash certain things together or separate. I fold things a certain way. I put things away in certain places.

So when my 4 year old Bean asks to help me fold laundry, it takes AN ARMY to get my not-quite-type-A self to say, "Sure, come on up and help!" (she stands on a dining room chair to reach the basket on the table). When she asks to help put her clothes away, I cringe as she piles things randomly on the shelves. She often wants to help me stir, anything from chocolate milk to cookie dough to the beef mixture to stuff into canneloni roma.

This

takes

so

long.

But I want her to not only learn these skills for her future, but also to understand that while they feel mundane and repetative, they are vital to the smooth running of a household. I want her to understand that although she will most definitely go through seasons in her life, God designed her to be a keeper of the home. I want her to realize that while everyone in the home adds to the feel of the home, it is the wife, the mom who ultimately sets the tone. Not necessarily "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy", but that she lends her quiet, gentle spirit to the home and creates a welcoming, relaxing place...a haven for her husband and children to come home to every day and be content in the peacefulness of home.

I'm still learning, myself. Some days I'm completely unsuccessful. Some days I wonder why anyone would want to come home to this place. But the Lord extends me grace time after time, and teaches me something new every day. He gives me renewed strength every day to handle whatever trials I might face.

So I stop. I let Bean fold clothes. I let her help me clean the bathroom. I let her wipe down the walls, and stir the pancake batter, and sweep the piles, and vacuum (okay, she doesn't vacuum yet...she's actually scared to death of it). And I really really try to let her see me doing these things with contented joy. I'm doing this not for man's happiness, but for God. I want her to know that her worth lies not in man's opinion of her, but God.

Today I'm linking up with Raising Homemakers and A Wise Woman Builds Her Home: