I can hear it now... Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, aaaaand Jerry Mathers as the Beaver. Now that I think of it, what parent calls their kid Beaver? When I was ten, it never crossed my mind that "Theodore" and Beaver have nothing in common.
I know that Mrs. Cleaver gets a little bit of a bad rap for being outmoded or prudishly conservative, but I like her. In fact, my outfit today is totally June Cleaver. It's a little modified because I'm not middle-aged with two kids, and this isn't the 50s. I've got my mid-calf chocolate brown dress on with the waistline at the true waist, sash and all. I've even got a little French twist action going on with my hair. Naturally, I'm feeling domestic today. I even paused halfway through this paragraph to, yes, go fold the laundry.
There's a classic kind of charm in milk and cookies on the counter after school and dresses with skirts that twirl and vacuuming in pumps and pearls. Sometimes in my apartment at school, I'd cook in my pearls and pumps and apron. I felt domestic in the, "Of course the roast is in the oven, the children are playing, and the dishes are done and I never broke a sweat or a nail" sort of way. The word "domesticity" can give off a stolen independence, forfeited career sort of air, but I think there's a lot of power in it. If you can make home a place where peace reigns, people feel welcome and taken care of and Christ is honored, that's a pretty valuable pursuit.
Now, let me say this... I did not just tell you to go be a world class chef, give your pad a "Better Homes and Gardens" makeover, and always be a happy little sister/daughter/wife whatever you are. June Cleaver is charming because of her values, not her valuables. She values her family. She tries her best to take good care of Ward and the boys by giving them safe, supportive space to be themselves and grow. She values hospitality, so somewhere before the screenplay starts, she decided learning to cook would be of practical value. She values beauty and excellence, so she doesn't go slobbing around the house in her topknot and pjs, at least before the cameras get there...
Sometimes I try the opposite approach. I think... if I buy these clothes and have my room decorated just so, I will be able to value and appreciate beauty. If I learn to be a great cook, then people will value me for my hospitality skills. If try to make my home a place where people can be themselves and grow, then they will flourish and I will be so happy.
Jacked. Up. Mrs. Cleaver's actions spring from what her heart values. Because what she values is outside of herself, the goals she is driven to accomplish have others as their end. Where my thoughts often start and end with I... I will be appreciated and loved, I will be successful, I will be a better person, hers begin with Ward, Wally and Beaver, and the P.T.A.
Who knew watching TVLand could be so inspiring?
Little Miss Sunshine
I know that Mrs. Cleaver gets a little bit of a bad rap for being outmoded or prudishly conservative, but I like her. In fact, my outfit today is totally June Cleaver. It's a little modified because I'm not middle-aged with two kids, and this isn't the 50s. I've got my mid-calf chocolate brown dress on with the waistline at the true waist, sash and all. I've even got a little French twist action going on with my hair. Naturally, I'm feeling domestic today. I even paused halfway through this paragraph to, yes, go fold the laundry.
There's a classic kind of charm in milk and cookies on the counter after school and dresses with skirts that twirl and vacuuming in pumps and pearls. Sometimes in my apartment at school, I'd cook in my pearls and pumps and apron. I felt domestic in the, "Of course the roast is in the oven, the children are playing, and the dishes are done and I never broke a sweat or a nail" sort of way. The word "domesticity" can give off a stolen independence, forfeited career sort of air, but I think there's a lot of power in it. If you can make home a place where peace reigns, people feel welcome and taken care of and Christ is honored, that's a pretty valuable pursuit.
Now, let me say this... I did not just tell you to go be a world class chef, give your pad a "Better Homes and Gardens" makeover, and always be a happy little sister/daughter/wife whatever you are. June Cleaver is charming because of her values, not her valuables. She values her family. She tries her best to take good care of Ward and the boys by giving them safe, supportive space to be themselves and grow. She values hospitality, so somewhere before the screenplay starts, she decided learning to cook would be of practical value. She values beauty and excellence, so she doesn't go slobbing around the house in her topknot and pjs, at least before the cameras get there...
Sometimes I try the opposite approach. I think... if I buy these clothes and have my room decorated just so, I will be able to value and appreciate beauty. If I learn to be a great cook, then people will value me for my hospitality skills. If try to make my home a place where people can be themselves and grow, then they will flourish and I will be so happy.
Jacked. Up. Mrs. Cleaver's actions spring from what her heart values. Because what she values is outside of herself, the goals she is driven to accomplish have others as their end. Where my thoughts often start and end with I... I will be appreciated and loved, I will be successful, I will be a better person, hers begin with Ward, Wally and Beaver, and the P.T.A.
Who knew watching TVLand could be so inspiring?
Little Miss Sunshine
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