What We Don't Have in Money...

...we make up in love.

This week in class we have focused on work and the home. Some interesting insights we discussed in class came from a look through history, how work has changed, what we define as work now, and the changes brought forth because of the industrial revolution.

We discussed women working outside the home more in our time, versus how they mostly stayed home to nurture and rear their children before the Industrial Revolution. There are still many stay at home moms today. An interesting insight brought forth in a study of children's play suggested that...

The role of MOM is usually the highest, most prestigious position kids choose in their play.

That is kind of cool, huh? Mother's are super important. In many cases we find research evidence of the importance of mom's influence in the home, rather than the influence that occurs when the mother is out of the home when children are young.

The main focus of our discussion was on work in the home, and how work has become divided from the home. Work used to be defined at what you did at home. Work built a family. You learned, taught, grew, enjoyed, labored, and laughed together through working in the home. Somehow the roles have been separated. Work is no longer the strive for relationships, but for completing tasks. Work is now associated with the value of money, and how much you can get for doing the work.

I never made the connection that "house" work was never a thing until after the revolution. Why, you ask? Because. Work was life. Work was the daily tasks that you did together to thrive in a household. It created a home. Work contributed to the family system. Most people were farmers. They labored in their own land and grew sufficient for their needs within the family. Children labored in the farms to help support each other. That quality time has been lost in our day and age because we do not have that quality learning time with our children. Mother's work more out of the home then ever before. Father's work 60 plus hours a week to provide for their families, and may hardly have time to engage in home activities or engaging with their children.

Because of the definition changing-- work is no longer about life. Life has now become about work, and things have drastically changed in our family systems because of it. Just some food for thought. What do you think about this drastic change in work among families?