Working Families
The whole family isn’t working; just the adult members. Or did they repeal child labor laws, and I missed it?
On a deeper meaning, that ties in with the “Heroes”, etc. topic I started, I hate that expression because it somehow implies that people who earn their money (instead of living off a trust fund or being on welfare) are somehow special. Living of a salary is the norm, not the exception, no? Why does it need special mention, as if it were the exception? (And let me not even get started on the vaguely implied “hardship” factor here…) Raising A Family
What’s wrong with simply “raising your KIDS”??? Not the whole family is being raised; presumably one or more members of the family are already adults, no?
These expressions were non-existent before 1990. They were created during the early 90’s, along with “Family Values”. The other family-related expression I hate that’s been around only slightly longer is “Stay-At-Home-Mom”. What the fuck is wrong with saying ‘HOUSEWIFE’???
I agree with you with the “working families” term. BUT…
Housewife is an old expression. Homemaker is probably what you are thinking about. (My mom called herself a homemaker in the 70’s).
Please don’t get me started…these “housewives” do a helluva lot more than just “wifey” things! They keep the house in order, clean, cook, take care of children…
I think it all started when some idiot (possibly of the male persuasion) asked his wife, “What the f*ck do you do all day long at home?!” as he ducks from being hit with a frying pan by his fuming wife
That, my friend, is how the “stay-at-home mom” term/expression/ saying started.
Siemsi – I could live with “homemaker”. That one doesn’t bother me for some reason. There is something about stay-at-home-mom that rubs me the wrong way. But I guess it could be worse. For a brief period of time they tried to call it “domestic engineer”. Thank God, that one didn’t catch on!
I think “stay-at-home-mom” came about during this (at least what I would call) new revolution of career women CHOOSING to stay at home with their children.
I agree with “domestic engineer”…shit. I think my mom may have used that once. LOL!
I’ve always suspected that “stay-at-home-mom” was started because so many of those that would have been called “housewife” were divorced, thus the “wife” portion of that name not making much sense.
Publish a definitive text book that is accepted and used by main stream educational institutions and then I will listen. Until then I will regard your comments with the disdain they merit.
Louis, honey, tell me what is so horribly offensive about the OP? “Excrement-based”? I find it comparably tame, actually.
You know what? I think you are just prejudiced against anything that comes from me, because my views from that other string pissed you off so. If this here OP had come from any ole’ Joe Blow, you couldn’t have cared less.
The OP isn’t so much offensive as it is just trite. In the case of your first peeve, you’re getting all worked up because the word family is being used in lieu of parents. Big fucking whoop. Have you ever thought about families in which the children are fourteen and over. It is possible to be a working family.
There’s nothing intrinsicly wrong with the phrase ‘raising a family’, either. I don’t know about you, but I hope to learn as much from my kids as they do from me. So if we use the word ‘raise’ to be synonomous with the word ‘grow’ then the phrase ‘raising a family’ is fine.
What a frivolous bee you have in your bonnet today…
Surely being a struggling and courageous single mum would give you more meaningful issues to bring to the pit? And someone of your obviously superior intelligence and wisdom must have more gripes about the state of the post-modern world than you have posted here.
Now, I’m off to work so that I can continue to raise my family, and thereby avoid the incredible hardships that would arise if I remained a stay-at-home mum.
And for your information, I DO reckon I’m a bloody hero for doing so.
