A homemaker is defined as a person who is responsible for managing the household. It is a modern-day term used for men and women who take care of the children, the elderly, the family, and managing a home. A homemaker is usually referred to as the father or a mother who stays at home to take care of the family and may not have an occupation outside the home. Outside help from caregivers, extended family members, helpers, social workers, and paid help may also be considered homemaking when they manage the household on behalf of the parents who are both working and cannot stay at home.
In the past, maintaining a household is being performed by the wife while the husband earns an income to support the family. As times change, we can witness the evolution of the roles of both parents and their responsibilities. The term housewife or househusband who is mainly devoted to helping their spouse had also changed. The term stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home dad now brings more empowerment to spouses who are not only devoted to helping their partners but are also hands-on in raising their children. A homemaker is responsible for the day-to-day function of the household. They are responsible for the daily routines, household chores, and overall health and wellbeing of their family. There are main responsibilities, which are following housekeeping, maintenance, and household management.
“Keeping a home not only requires time, energy and creativity, but it also calls for skills and experience.” – Dorothy Kelley Patterson
Importance of Creating a Routine as a Homemaker
It is important to create a daily routine and schedule for a harmonious flow of the day. A daily routine would be setting a schedule and sticking to it. There can be a routine to follow for the day and a schedule for different chores. A homemaker can also create a routine for the morning, afternoon, and evening. An example of a morning routine would be waking up at five in the morning to take the dog for potty; then, the homemaker can proceed with feeding the dog. It would also be best to let the dog play while the homemaker prepares to cook breakfast and snacks for kids to bring to school from six to seven in the morning. After breakfast is prepared, she will call the family to eat. Breakfast could be set at seven in the morning. After breakfast, she would wash the dishes and help the other family members to prepare for their day ahead. For example, help the kids wash up, get ready and bring them to school. Once the homemaker was able to bring the kids to school, she can do other errands like going to the grocery or even paying bills. When she gets home in the afternoon, she can also follow a routine. For example, she can start collecting dirty clothes and put them on the washer. While waiting for it, she can also continue to work on the other household chores like sweeping or vacuuming the floor. Once she is done washing the clothes and putting them into the dryer, she can prepare to pick up the kids from school.
A part of the afternoon routine would be bringing the kids to their sports practices or other extracurricular activities. And when everything is done, they can head home. The evening routine will start as soon as they get back home. This would mean preparing food for dinner. If the kids are a little older, the homemaker can let them finish their homework with minimal supervision. But with younger kids, the homemaker would need to spare more time and attention to help them with their homework after eating dinner and washing the dishes. She can then help the kids to wash up and prepare for bed. The evening routine can also include reading them stories and tucking them to bed to sleep.
A homemaker’s weekly homemaker routine would include cleaning the shower and toilet, general cleaning of the home, creating and reviewing their budget, and creating a menu for the following week. While doing laundry can be done every day, ironing clothes can be part of the weekly routine. A homemaker is also responsible for overseeing the home maintenance of appliances and equipment. That includes checking if the air conditioning and heating system works properly and scheduling it for regular cleaning and preventive maintenance. Home maintenance also includes doing DIY projects for home improvement and checking if some repairs need to be done.
Maintaining a home also includes lawn and garden maintenance. This includes watering the plants, pulling weeds, mowing the grass, and applying fertilizer to the plants. Lawn and garden maintenance would differ with every season. For example, in Spring or Summer, homemakers plant seeds, pull weeds and sod or sprig their yards. In Autumn, the homemaker should focus more on removing or raking the fallen leaves, keep cutting the grass to the correct height, keep watering the plants and loosening the soil, spread some seeds to prevent weeds from growing, and add fertilizer to the plants. When the winter comes, the homemaker can let the lawn rest and only mow the lawn when necessary.
A homemaker juggles a lot of responsibilities and must control the tasks he or she needs to perform daily. Being a homemaker is a certain way of life and discipline that requires many organizations to follow and stick to a routine and avoid overwork and fatigue. It can be one of the most demanding jobs, but it can be the most rewarding. Homemaking in today’s world has been recognized as a noble act and an inspiring job. This gives way to the share of the responsibilities between couples and lets one person take full responsibility for maintaining the home. It creates open communication, stronger bond or connection between couples, and builds trust between family members and the homemaker. Being a homemaker is proud of because monetary rewards cannot compensate for the skills, experience, heart, and soul shared with the family by the homemaker.
“The homemaker is the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only. And that is to support the ultimate career.” -C.M Lewis
Also, read Home Is Where the Heart Is
