Back To An Old Fashioned Way Of Thinking
Photo courtesy of Usamedeniz/Freedigitalphotos
I am intrigued by simplicity and the days of old. I love the thoughts of aprons around a mammas waist. The warmth of a kitchen with the enticing smells of bread in the oven. I can see bare feet and mud pies lined in the driveway. To see feet dangling from a tree limb they just learned to climb. I can hear the static of a radio playing in the background. It was a time when daddies walked in the door to a houseful and aromas of a homemade supper. A time when laughter was shared around the supper table and stories were told. Where kids learned their manners, how to eat what was given, and how to clean the plate. Where the food was real. It was mixed, stirred, and tasted. It was soaked, baked, and seasoned with love.
A time when you could spank your wild child then hug them after. A time when hard physical labor was a sought after character trait and the Gospel was the best story ever told. A time when they used their hands, sweat, and common sense. Neighbors knew each other by first and last name. They were the first person you called when needing help. I love the thoughts of recipes being swapped and encouragement given. The days when being married to one person your whole life was just how it was. Back to the time when a swollen belly with life meant the marriage was content and blessed. Go back to the day when an animal was used for the good of the family, protection, not as an accessory. To go back when little boys could carry pocket knives. A time when the sports you played were all teams you formed in the backyard. When kids were called inside for supper and were filthy from a full day of play.
This is my mission.
To get back to family values and true quality of life. To live beautifully and simply and work hard to keep it that way. To slow down the pace and make something from nothing. To grow food and cook it with your own hands. To give the sweet gift of childhood to a generation that has lost it and to restore marriages back to what they are meant to be…forever.
Who wants to join me in this journey of reclaiming the best days of the past as we move forward in the future? Let us join together and show the world how to love on their husbands, children, and home. It has been placed on my heart to reach more women in encouragement. My vision is to cut loose of unnecessary distractions and focus on all the God-given things that matter on the short time we all have.
What about you? Want to Join me?
30 Responses to Back To An Old Fashioned Way Of Thinking
Hey Y'all! My name is Brittany Styron. Sweet Country Roots is a place I hope to encourage, inspire, and bring a chuckle. Grab yourself a cup of coffee and join conversations about marriage, babies, homeschooling, frugal living, good food, and an old fashioned way of thinking.
That is how it was when I grew up.It’s a lovely thought. Most people do not have the time to cook from scratch. Schedules don’t allow for eating together every night. I think we do the best we can with the circumstances we are in. And we all know there will be no little boys carrying pocket knives to school these days! Unless they want to be expelled. Everything is so different. I do agree that we have the power to change our children. Bring them up with manners, respect, and a love of the outdoors. I wish you well on your journey. I would love to revisit this conversation with you in 20 years. Yes, 20 years. After you have raised your children, through these treacherous times. Good luck!
I completely agree with you 100%. I long for those simple times too. Let the children run wild outside till supper time, the meal that I cooked from scratch with an apron around my waist. It is the life I have always dreamed of. I am trying, my little boys play outside for hours, with knives in their pockets, and come in muddy from top to bottom. So it is a start, a small one, but a start. Thanks for sharing your aspirations, I hope and pray you can achieve them! God Bless
Our family feels the same way. Thanks for putting it out there and making the world wide web a bit better of a place. God bless you.
Lovely post. Thought provoking, so much so, that I’ve written three different comments and then hit the delete button. I can’t quite get my thoughts in order, except to say, Yes. I agree with it all. Really, lovely.
I sure strive for what we believe is a good way to live, which is quite similar to yours. We believe in these things and so we make sacrifices in order to get them. It’s a personal choice, but one I’m glad we’re making in our family 🙂
I couldn’t agree with you more! That’s how my husband and I grew up for the most part. We were both homeschooled and lived in the country. Now we’re raising our kids on a small sustainable farm in VA. It’s a lot of work but we love it and it’s sooo good for the kids. We wouldn’t have it any other way. As my husband says, we may not have a lot of money but we’re rich in life! Check out our website and farm Facebook page. I think you’d like it. I know you have dreams of farming.
Oh yes! I checked out your page, so awesome! I was just telling my husband that we should sell all we have and start from scratch doing what y’all are. Ill have to try some of your products:)
Keep pursuing it!! We are on our “second family” (adoption after our bio kids grew up) and have made huge changes with the way we’re raising these children. We homeschool, our kids are home most of the time, we have gardens and chickens, the kids have regular chores, they don’t play outside sports (they play backyard sports with family and friends), we have very few toys in the house, Christmas and birthdays are very “light”, no cable and very limited TV access, no video games in the house…(they play at other houses occasionally). Our bio kids grew up to be fine adults but they all admit that they want to follow the principles that we are using with our “second time around” family… In fact each of our children are looking at property so they can build homes and give their children lots of space to run, ride bikes, explore nature, grow their own food, raise animals, and do some things the old fashioned way. It does take an “old fashioned” way of thinking and doing…and it’s worth it!
Love, love this. I pinned it to my Simplify board. Rich rewarding days — but I’d sure hate to go back to using a typewriter. I love seeing kids play outside instead of glued to a screen. We wonder why our kids are growing up without creativity — oh if they could just have some of the “old fashion” days. ~Pamela
I loved this post. We are also trying to get back to that old fashioned way of living. It is so much easier.
I am not sure this life is possible in today’s society but it is a nice dream. I raised my kids mostly the way you described and I was raised that way but I am not sure it is possible for my grandson.
Can’t play outside unattended as there are numerous registered sex offenders in the neighborhood, can’t play with neighbors because parents are meth addicts- too risky,parks have dirty needles on ground, on and on.
My grandson does not live in a bad neighborhood unfortunately it is an average neighborhood in average America. Luckily he has a grammy that will go outside and watch him play and let him get dirty and have fun.
He will have a good life but it won’t be the life you are describing. I don’t believe in isolation- I believe we have to figure out how to live with others even though they may be very different from us.
Life is what you determine to make it wherever you live.
May most of us determine to live the good ole days.
So many folks seem to think that these notions are out of reach, that they’re incompatible with modern living. We’ve found that they’re not. One big fear people have is simply letting their children play outside. Getting to know (*really* know) neighbors, being active in the neighborhood and community, and investing in others within your sphere really strips away much of the media-instilled hype and fear surrounding being outside our own four walls. I urge people to get out there and be light, right where you are!
Totally agree. This post brought tears to my eyes – and I am not an older generation nostalgic! I am a young mum and the sadness is the wistful ache that my children do not live in these purer, simple times. I’m all for re-inventing them if at all possible 🙂
It is sad at times that it isn’t quite the way it used to be. Your right, we will just do the best we can and preserve the best of yesterday!
I feel the EXACT same way and it is too my personal goal to bring back an old fashioned way of life. What do I miss most? Morals, parenting, and safety.
There are many things we can learn and implement from previous generations…. BUT I also find that in our “hurry, hurry” world, it means that there are things we need to say NO to – such as being on the go all of the time. A simple life and a “rush rush” life just will not work together. It is worth figuring out what things we want to use in our family and what things just don’t fit. Thank you for your post. 🙂
I agree! We have that issue in our family. It seems we try to live 2 different lives. One being slow, steady, and simple. The other is rushing from one event to the next. It’s natural to try to fit everything in we can. We really must work hard at letting go and staying simple. I believe it is a better quality of life:)
I’m in! Your post almost brought a tear to my eye because I feel the same way. I feel like I was born in the wrong generation. I mourn for the lost civility, decorum, manners, and family values of days past. I feel the most satisfied when I spend a day getting the house in order, running errands, and cooking dinner.
Brittany…this is a sweet post and an awesome mission you’re pursuing. I, too, have a fondness for the old days and ways. There is just something about how it used to be but I also appreciate some of what today offers like the conveniences of a washing machine and dryer. For us, we drizzle the ways of yesteryear into a more modern life. It helps us not forget to appreciate the simplicity of life back then. Better yet, it helps us strive to hold onto that way of thinking and living more often than not. Thank you for sharing at Monday’s Musings and I look forward to this journey you will be embarking on. Please continue to share your posts so we can come along with you. Blessings.
This brought a tear to my eye because this is the life our family leads. Many times I have felt like a failure as a parent because our children aren’t involved in a bunch of outside activities, I am a stay-at home mom, we homeschool, we are careful about who our children play with, etc. Thank you for making me feel like I don’t have to be ashamed about our old-fashioned way of life. It is pretty great! 🙂
This made me smile! People may not show it but I think deep down every one wants the slow pace easy going life. It is actually harder to attain simplicity than staying busy. Good for you for making it happen!
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This is EXACTLY how we are trying to raise our young family! Love it!
Love this!
Help!!! Please give my your ideas of how to get children to eat what is placed in front of them and to get them to clean their plates. I have a grand-daughter who only wants chicken, French fries and Spagetti. I never had this problem with my children….
They only get what I am fixing. They don’t always eat it all… but when they know there are no other options, if they are hungry enough, they will clean the plate:)
I love, love, love this!
This post brought tears to my eyes! My husband and I are in the process of selling our house in the city and moving to a ten acre farm in the country to live exactly this life. We both grew up in Tokyo and have very little experience with farming aside from our backyard veggie gardening, but are oddly enough craving the physical labor of it all… the time to spend with our children… the simplicity. Less distractions, more God. I’m in!
I love that! Congratulations!
Excellent idea! I am on board. The only hurdle that each individual will have to jump on their own is slowing life down. We all get the same 24 hours, do what you will with yours. GO FOR IT!!!!!