liz3564 wrote:However, I think that it is worth noting that the Mormon culture both encourages and rewards perfectionism. I think that, women, in particular, have a rough time with this, because we are constantly encouraged to be the care givers, to think of ourselves last, not complain, etc. Women have a nurturing instictive, anyway, so when you add the constant pressure of perfection, it is overwhelming. You feel that if your kids aren't dressed impeccably, sitting quietly in Sacrament Meeting, after eating a breakfast of homemade bread from wheat you ground yourself, you are somehow a failure! LOL
Of course, I am exaggerating a bit here, but it is funny because there is truth behind the exaggeration. All of us who have been in Relief Society have felt this at one point or another.
I actually don't see this. I see many women working outside the home and doing what they have to do so their family survives. However, I do think that when we look at children and when we look at youth, we can see that there is something wrong with how various societies are developing with the younger generation and so, in an ideal world, the advice that the church gives makes sense. However, in practicalities it is very difficult to do because of structural changes in society. And this is why we see the series I am a Mormon having working women with nice smiles on their faces. It is the new reality.
We also need to remember that GAs give advice on how to do life and we can pick and chose what advice best suits us at that moment. It is pretty near impossible to do all that the GAs are advising people to do. It is not a commandment to wash the dishes or vacuum the carpet. It is also not a commandment to be perfect in all things: bedmaking, clothes washing, shoe shining etc.