Accidental Apron
This morning I was making final preparations to walk out the door for work when I happened to realize I was still wearing my apron from cooking the boys breakfast. I only figured it out when I went to slide my phone into my pocket and couldn't access it due to the apron protectively guarding my work clothes.
I smiled and then thought Did I accidentally wear this to the grocery store last week? How many women still wear aprons? Do they forget? Do young women even still wear aprons? Is that a thing? [So many thoughts, I'm like a hummingbird in my head.]
I was pondering these important things as I passed the kitchen sink and realized the pan I was soaking still needed to be finished - so I took off my 'business fancy' ring and bracelets to get down to the nitty gritty business of lovingly caring for my home. They come first. Plus, who wants to come home to cold and gross dishwater? Not this gal.
I have a love affair with aprons, collect vintage ones, make my own, wear them on a daily basis and even have my own custom hook for the kitchen. I even have some stored ready in the camper for when I'm in my "other" kitchen. Their steadfastness throughout the generations is deserving and I have a great fear they are becoming extinct in one fell swoop of generation. I love the idea of being in a kitchen, wearing an apron and making nourishment for my family; I welcome the stereotype because stereotypes are there for a very good reason: It's the Natural Order of what God created. I am a nurturer and caretaker by Nature and glad of it.
It's a tragedy that our culture looks down on a woman who fulfills her femininity by caring for her family, as if she is settling for a life of domestic drudgery rather than sharing her gifts with the world. Even from my own limited experience, I've had countless encounters with those who believe I've wasted my intelligence 'just to stay home'; many who look askance at our large family, strangers and family alike, [especially when the boys were 6-11 year old hooligans] at all the sacrifices we made so that I could stay home cultivate the heart of our Domestic Church.
I take great pride in my home, the way I can pull together a meal for my family [sometimes out of seemingly nothing] I love every aspect of homekeeping even though it's devastatingly exhaustive and I have a permanent knot in my shoulder that is named after Basil. I used to feel 'less than' when I quit school, then quit my jobs so that I could be a wife and mother. Even though I felt deep within my soul it was the right thing to do, Society consistently pummeled me with the message that You're Missing Out! You Are Wasting Your Talents! Mothers Can Have It All!!
Well, no we can't . We truly can't. Something is being sacrificed whether it's admitted it or not. We can keep kidding ourselves, running our countenances in the ground, spending way too much time in the car, wasting money on prepared groceries, house cleaners and 'stuff' for our kids because we feel guilty not being there; Or stop at the hallway mirror and ask the frazzled face looking back "What are you doing?"
I've stopped listening to the voices telling me I did something wrong and started hearing the ones that said "wow, you're kids are awesome". Well, I'm going to be very honest and say that, for us, that only happened because they knew where to find me: In the Kitchen with my Apron on.
I smiled and then thought Did I accidentally wear this to the grocery store last week? How many women still wear aprons? Do they forget? Do young women even still wear aprons? Is that a thing? [So many thoughts, I'm like a hummingbird in my head.]
 |
| I honestly wish this were my kitchen. I also wish I could rock a string of pearls like that. |
I was pondering these important things as I passed the kitchen sink and realized the pan I was soaking still needed to be finished - so I took off my 'business fancy' ring and bracelets to get down to the nitty gritty business of lovingly caring for my home. They come first. Plus, who wants to come home to cold and gross dishwater? Not this gal.
I have a love affair with aprons, collect vintage ones, make my own, wear them on a daily basis and even have my own custom hook for the kitchen. I even have some stored ready in the camper for when I'm in my "other" kitchen. Their steadfastness throughout the generations is deserving and I have a great fear they are becoming extinct in one fell swoop of generation. I love the idea of being in a kitchen, wearing an apron and making nourishment for my family; I welcome the stereotype because stereotypes are there for a very good reason: It's the Natural Order of what God created. I am a nurturer and caretaker by Nature and glad of it.
It's a tragedy that our culture looks down on a woman who fulfills her femininity by caring for her family, as if she is settling for a life of domestic drudgery rather than sharing her gifts with the world. Even from my own limited experience, I've had countless encounters with those who believe I've wasted my intelligence 'just to stay home'; many who look askance at our large family, strangers and family alike, [especially when the boys were 6-11 year old hooligans] at all the sacrifices we made so that I could stay home cultivate the heart of our Domestic Church.
I take great pride in my home, the way I can pull together a meal for my family [sometimes out of seemingly nothing] I love every aspect of homekeeping even though it's devastatingly exhaustive and I have a permanent knot in my shoulder that is named after Basil. I used to feel 'less than' when I quit school, then quit my jobs so that I could be a wife and mother. Even though I felt deep within my soul it was the right thing to do, Society consistently pummeled me with the message that You're Missing Out! You Are Wasting Your Talents! Mothers Can Have It All!!
Well, no we can't . We truly can't. Something is being sacrificed whether it's admitted it or not. We can keep kidding ourselves, running our countenances in the ground, spending way too much time in the car, wasting money on prepared groceries, house cleaners and 'stuff' for our kids because we feel guilty not being there; Or stop at the hallway mirror and ask the frazzled face looking back "What are you doing?"
I've stopped listening to the voices telling me I did something wrong and started hearing the ones that said "wow, you're kids are awesome". Well, I'm going to be very honest and say that, for us, that only happened because they knew where to find me: In the Kitchen with my Apron on.
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