I have been watching my "Father Knows Best" dvd lately. I just got the 3rd season so I had to watch it. :) Anyway, it got me to thinking about how much life has changed since that era. I know that this is just a television show but from what I have been told by my grandparents (when they were alive) and what I have seen in photos and read about, it was a fairly accurate depiction of what life was like. I know that they were a super sweet family where everything worked out perfectly and nothing bad ever happened in their lives. That is not what I am referring to. I am talking about the family life.
For those not familiar with this show, it was set in about the 1940's to 1950's. The mom was in charge of the house and the dad was in charge of having the job to make the money for the family. The kids were respectful to their parents and other adults.
What got me to thinking was that the house was always clean and immaculate. That was the mom's job. I struggle to stay on top of the laundry and keep the kitchen clean but then again I work outside the home. That was another thing. Once you got married, you no longer worked outside of the home because your job was the home. I would like to think that I could keep my house in order like they did if I stayed at home. You would think that you would get bored with that job but the mom in this time cleaned the kids' rooms, her room, the kitchen, etc., did the mending, shopping for meals, cooking, etc. In one episode the dad states that they have enough money in the budget to splurge once that month and go out to dinner. How many times a week do we go out to eat?
The whole family sat down to dinner together. There were very little excuses for not doing this. The family didn't just come in and watch television at night (this family had one at that time but it was a luxury then). They did puzzles, played games, went outside, sewed, crocheted, read books, etc. When was the last time the television and computers were shut off and we spent time doing something together without spending money or going somewhere?
Women actually dressed up for their husbands at night, modesty was actually something that people wanted to have, and family time meant talking to each other, doing things together--not just being in the same room together.
Will we ever get that lifestyle back or are we just too busy or whatever? What would it take? Would we be willing to make the sacrifices that it would take to get this type of life back or is that asking too much?
I've contemplated these same kind of things when watching Little House on the Prairie. Of course, that is way further removed from life now than Father Knows Best, but it's the perspective on what they considered priority that gets ya thinking, huh? So many more distractions these days. I wonder, too, what it would take to fight those distractions and lead a simpler life. Great post!
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