In the Whirled: The radical Mormon mother, Part II

But even in our culture we’ve strayed from understanding what a homemaker is supposed to do. We’ve outsourced our domestic skills, whole-foods cooking, a great portion of the teaching we should give our children and even our own ability to create.

I’ve long been an advocate of giving moms the time and space to create. Part of that lies with the husband (more on that in my next column) and part of that lies with the mother who is willing to say, “True fulfillment won’t be found in any store, but in gathering community and creating.” That is the part of themselves that women need to guard fiercely to avoid selling their souls (and their happiness) to consumerism.

Is it regressive to say that mothers will find great fulfillment in baking, canning, making soap, sewing, gardening, writing and photography? Couched in 1950s terms, it sounds antiquated. But the new radical mother is riding the wave of the “maker” culture and is a revival of the lost arts that hearken back to the days of our great-grandparents.

It may be hip and trendy, but for once, it’s a trend we’d all be good to follow.

Part III in two weeks: the radical Mormon father

Tiffany Gee Lewis lives in St. Paul, Minn., and is the mother of four boys. She blogs at thetiffanywindow.wordpress.com. Her email is tiffanyelewis@gmail.com.