ANNIE, A TRADWIFE?

 

    This is something I didn't see coming down the pike. ME? A TRADWIFE? 

Please save me someone! But here it is. In my most recent blog post I mentioned an article by the Atlantic which spoke of the whole TradWife movement and the men who married such women. Apparently, the husbands of TradWives--according to this article, and who knows how many they interviewed--saw their partners with contempt. The men knew they had to have a woman to support and care for them, but they hated being dependent. So....Annie decided to test out the whole shebang of being a TW to see what it was like--the good points and the bad points.

    To be clear, I was brought up in the '50s by a stay-at-home wife, never a TW. 

Those were the days when a partner could earn enough money so that one parent could stay at home. But my Mom always did her art and never did the amount of housework that a traditional wife might do. This is another disclaimer: to be a TW in these times is not for poor folks. You would have to have a husband who earned enough money so you could be in the home. 

    Day 1.  Up at 6:30, started breakfast, peed dog and set out two bird feeders. Ate muffin, tea and fruit, washed dishes by hand which may or may not be part of the TW. Dressed, put on makeup--because even if I am not in this culture, I am a child of the 50s--and did 15 min. brisk walking inside. We are meant to be attractive and fairly fit. Hence.

    Started housework for the day: dusting, sweeping the Netflix room, scrubbing toilet and sink in bathroom as well as the kitchen.

 Read Scripture (not an Evangelical, although the whole TW movement seems darkly intertwined with this faith),knitted a Reiki shawl for a friend, and answered email. As a supposed 1950s lady, it would be my job to keep in touch with family and friends. 

    Then prepped supper as us traditional wives cook from scratch and do not do takeout. Snipped ends of green beans, cooked Arborio rice for later on, juiced a lemon for sauce, and rinsed capers. Put out butter.

 

    Such wives might make our own bread, specifically sourdough bread, so in the spirit of this experiment I began making bread (had already begun a starter several days ago) with Einkorn flour, white whole wheat, melted butter, starter, and a bit of yeast. Put in warm oven to warm, punched down after 1 and 1/2 hours, shaped into 2 loaves, and rose again before baking.

 

   Light lunch--cause us TW do not want to get overweight!--more brisk walking, then a one hour rest. This would be hard if you had young kids at home or if you were home-schooling, as many TWs seem to do. Later we drove to visit a hurting friend, bringing fresh cookies and a Reiki shawl I knitted for her. (Do TWs believe in Reiki? Somehow I think not...) Lovely to see people in the flesh instead of on FB, help out, share laughter, and remember that we are all one. (Of course that is Catholic and I expect the whole TW movement is not woven in tightly to Catholicism, but I could be wrong.)

    For supper I sauteed chicken fillets in butter, fresh lemon juice and capers served over rice, 'cause we cook from scratch! And it's damn good. Do TWs swear? This could be my downfall. Shooed Rick out of kitchen--cause TW--did dishes, mopped counter, and felt Day 1 had gone well.This is far more housework than I would ordinarily do. Or, as a wonderful FB post once showed a woman in old-fashioned clothes saying, "I dusted once but it all came back. I'm not falling for that shit again!" On the bright side, we have a clean, organized house. With Day 1 at an end, I am in PJs, reading actual, physical paper books, and avoiding doomscrolling 

over which I have no control. Except not to do it. My body is tired but my spirits are good knowing I made good, healthy food, helped a friend, and made the house cozy. Another blog will follow with Days 2 & 3 for your delectation.