If It's Tuesday
I went to see the movie, If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. It was my senior trip in high school. The movie was a zany look at travel tours so packed that a person can’t remember which country he is in. At least there was an itinerary, a plan for the week. Tourists could look at it and tell where they were by what day it was.
Nowadays, families squish lots of activities into a week. Children have sports, music, and dance classes on top of regular school/church activities. Some parents have to split up on the weekend in order to ferry several kids to different activities. Life can get so hectic that it is hard to squeeze in the necessities of providing healthy food and clean clothing.
In the days of June Cleaver, there was more structure to a week’s worth of household chores. Many women were full-time homemakers and could concentrate on just that: making a home. Each day had one main purpose:
Monday – Wash Day
Aunt Martha's Days of the Week transfers
Tuesday – Ironing Day
Wednesday – Sewing Day
Thursday – Market Day
Friday - Cleaning Day
Saturday – Baking Day
Sunday – Day of Rest
Some of these daily activities are as outdated as embroidered tea towels. Ironing and mending aren’t common tasks these days. It is almost more cost effective to purchase baked goods than to make “from scratch.”
However, there are several principles from this model that we can apply today in our busy families.
1. A week is a ready-made unit for effective planning. Outside activities for family members often fall into a weekly pattern. We can use that to our advantage.
2. Food, clothing, and shelter are necessary basics of life. Once the family schedules for fall, winter, or spring are established, choose the day of the week that is best for each of these three chores – grocery shopping, laundry, and housecleaning. Make that chore a top priority for that day on a weekly basis.
3. Basic household chores done regularly keep the tasks manageable. Laundry that piles up truly becomes a mountain that is so much harder to conquer!
4. A routine becomes a habit. Habits no longer require thought and planning.
If it’s Tuesday, this must be ________________ day. What is your one main household chore? Fill in the blank and keep that appointment. Once your family gets used to having food on hand for the week, clean clothes, and cleared spaces to relax in… the imposed structure will be worth it!
