I’m a conservative Christian, Pentecostal even. But because my girl is the youngest of six, and my oldest is 14, you’d better believe my boys need to help out with some of the basics of housework. I am by no means sitting on my duff and letting them do all the work, but I do ask the older boys clean up after dinner and they refill the soap dispensers, make sure there is adequate toilet paper supply, and clean the toilets each week. The younger boys are expected to fold washcloths and do small errands. Of course this is not ALL the housework I have to do, but in a larger family everyone must pitch in just a little.
Mind you, I’m doing that to prepare them for their bachelorhood as well as for that time when they and their wives have 27 kids apiece and the wives can’t do all the work themselves. :]
If you read the Little House series closely, you’ll see Ma does some taking care of the stock even though it isn’t her usual job, and Pa can help out a little when Ma is sick in the home. I don’t think they were confused on their gender roles, but when you have all girls and the farming still needs to be done, the girls have to help.
I like your blog in part (there are other reasons!) because all kinds of interesting people hang out here, and they all have different viewpoints. But they’re all committed to homeschooling and education, and discussing these issues. Bless ya!
PS. Most of us don’t mean to make a political statement when we homeschool. Personally, I began when it became painfully obvious that the school was not working in my child’s best interest. Once I got STARTED, however, I realized how much “learning” my child is missing in the public school and am more committed to teaching them at home. And many of those ideas are religious. It just didn’t start out that way.
Hope that makes sense.
