Why am I trying to be a 1950’s housewife in 2015?

As 2015 unfolds, I’m noticing the ‘slow it down’, ‘rewind’, ‘simplify’ phenomena becoming more and more prevalent, none more so than in the area of homemaking.  But is this trend actually making our lives simpler/easier/more fulfilled?  Whether you are a SAHM or a working Mum or not even a Mum at all {maybe you’re a Dad, an Uncle, a serial killer who likes reading Mummy Blogs?} you will undoubtedly have noticed that expectations have changed.  The bar has been raised again, higher than it’s probably ever been before and the pressure is on.

I grew up in the ’80’s, in what must have been a wondrous time to be a homemaker.  The introduction of the microwave, the dryer, the VCR, muesli bars and snack packs of chips must have each brought squeals of excitement to consumers as all of a sudden, efficiency and convenience became one’s ultimate goal.  Getting those boring jobs done – like preparing dinner – was suddenly barely a blip on the radar, there were chicken nuggets in the freaking FREEZER!  Best of all, dishing up a Big Ben pie for tea once a week came judgement free! No one gave a damn what you fed your family for dinner, there was no required Instagramming of every meal, no need to worry about pinning the recipe because it was just a pie, some frozen peas and some mash right?  Washed down with some Jungle Juice or a full sugar blast from the Soda Stream and the whole family was fed, happy and watching Macgyver by 7pm. 

No judgement, no expectations, no constant self-analysis or exclusion diets.  Just getting on with the day to day business of life and trying to snatch back a few precious minutes here and there by making life easier.

Chances are the kids weren’t involved in after school tutoring and at least 3 other assorted extracurricular activities, Mum probably wasn’t consumed by getting her pre-baby body back and perfecting the art of vignettes while cooking a Pinterest-esque GF, dairy free, organic, whole foods meal every night and maintaining her mani-pedis.

{That last sentence makes me so tired just reading it}.

It goes on and on doesn’t it?  Birthday party planning needs to begin months in advance to ensure the invitations match the cake, theme, decor, food and goody bags.  Don’t even think about presenting a cake from Countdown and a simple round of pass-the-parcel, oh hell no girlfriend.  It’s time to step up your game. 

Your kids wardrobe should essentially match your home decor; think uber cool, scandi, monochrome with a touch of expensive kawaii graphics, finished with some Nike roshe runs, a bento lunch box and BPA free drink bottle – preferably in stainless steel.  This may require a second mortgage – if you’re lucky enough to have been able to get on the property ladder here in Auckland anyway < I count the many blessings of our house every day, our mortgage is one expense I will NEVER complain about.

Times have changed and now more than ever the expectation of maintaining perfection in our roles as wives, mothers, homemakers, business women is creating a pressure-cooker environment for those of us that are buying in to the dangerous ideals that abound on social media darlings Instagram and Pinterest.

I’m not just a passive commentator btw, and I’m also not suggesting that common sense around food and family nutrition haven’t come a long way since I was 6.  I love All the Pretty Things as much as the next Home & Garden subscriber, but I can’t be my version of an Awesome Mum and wife if I can’t say, “you know what?  It’s Friday, it’s 4pm and I’m going to have a glass of wine, call Pizza Hut and sit on the couch with a book for a while.  Ignore the crumbs on the floor, I couldn’t be bothered vacuuming for the 4th time this week.  The kids?  They’re fine, Ethan is playing Xbox – he’s very happy.  Nixon is digging in my vege garden wearing a nappy and he is as happy as a pig in shit.  Dave?  He’s skateboarding with his mates, pig in shit reference applies here too”.  Things might not be picture perfect, but I need to learn to live with that and not call it a bad day because the beds didn’t get made.

That sounds actually quite hard for me to do, but damnit it’s worth a try!  0800 838383……….

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