People come to America for the American Dream. Does it still exist? Maybe in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, they gave us this idea of a little white house with a picket fence. Dad goes to work, and Mom stays home with the kids. There is a homecooked meal, town picnics with apple pie and sweet tea, ball games in the Summer, and football in the winter. People went to church. Shopping centers were closed on Sundays. Alcohol was not served on Sunday. This was the building of the middle class. A solid family unit was given to us as a healthy American life.
In the 1950s, 82% of women stayed married, compared to 60% by 2000. In the 1950s, women did everything for their families at home, and divorce was unheard of. According to apa.org, working part-time moms feel better mentally than staying at home all the time.
Two Pay Checks
Then, in the 1960s, moms started going to work, and it started taking two paychecks to run a household. They started teaching sex education in school, and drugs entered. Drugs came in with the Vietnam War but entered the school system in the 70s. Parents had no idea about sex and drugs. Drugs had always been in the United States but not as frequent as they were in the 1960s.
Indoctrination of Life
The schools started indoctrinating kids instead of teaching basic learning skills. Parents needed to keep up with their children’s learning, attend meetings, and fight what was being taught. Years ago, I thought it was a joke when I heard they taught me that parents and grandparents knew nothing and did not matter. I know firsthand now.
Extra Activities in Life
Decade after decade, the number of families and schools in America has declined. The church has declined, and fewer people attend. This country has many other gods — sports, online games, TV, bars, drugs, careers, and money. Money is usually the bottom line of it all. You cannot serve God and mammon. Money is not harmful if used properly. God and family should come first. None of those extra activities are harmful if put in their proper place, but they have become addictive and out of control. The money spent on sports is unreal. For me, going to a football game would take a whole paycheck, and most children would rather play online games than outside.
Careers
The family unit has declined and become less critical. In the 2000s, careers became more important than jobs, becoming the new American Dream for many people. Housewives and stay-at-home moms are made fun of these days. When a child who belongs to a career woman gets sick, she is frowned upon when she needs to go home. I know there are rare companies that accommodate women who have children. They have nurseries at the office buildings.
Traditional Marriage
In this generation, I see so many people throw away marriages. They did not know what it meant to be married to start with. I am talking about the ones who have tried to do it the traditional way.
They get married, have children, and then one has an affair. They think the grass is greener on the other side. I know two examples right now. The husbands have great jobs and work hard to support their wives and children. She feels she needs more attention. What happened to do things with your children? Raising them to be able to take care of themselves and be future adults? I did some research on divorce, and I am talking about these two instances where my friends were housewives.
I Had a Second Chance
I have no room to speak except that I did not have a good husband and could have done better in the children’s department. That marriage lasted less than a year. In my day, they made it a little harder to get a divorce. You had to get counseling and wait a specific period. Thank goodness, I met a man who loved me and my child. It was rocky and rugged for a while, but we worked on it for the last twenty years. I said work. Marriage is work for both people. There are not always gooey feelings, which are lust and mistaken for love.
A marriage is a covenant between two people and God. It connects you, and when it is broken, it affects your spirit. You know the saying, ‘You never get over your first love.’ I believe this.
Drive-thru Divorce
Now, all you have to do is file for divorce. It is unfortunate to watch when it is about selfishness. I watch women go for bad boys because that is who will have them because of their selfishness. I am surprised they do not have drive-thru divorces.
Sickness and Health
People need to think hard before they marry. Some people believe in long-term finances, and so should marriage. In sickness and in health to death shall you part. Picture them old and sick. Do you love them enough to care for them? Do you love them enough if they were broke?
I took care of my sick husband, and it was hard, but we had 20 good years. But we also had 14 hell years. Those years sometimes overpower the good.
Overworked Wives
I did some research on divorce: Divorces in the 2000s
Statistics say most divorces happen with career women who are married because they end up doing domestic and career work. They get no help from their husbands, so they get resentful. Husbands resent wives if they have a better career. Women get tired when they have no help with domestic stuff after working forty hours a week. So, either hire help or have your husbands help your wives.
I hope you enjoyed my article on how the American household has changed over the centuries. I wrote this article because so many young women and men treat marriage as nothing.
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