Feminists’ Leaders Had Terrible Mothers
Did you know that the modern feminist movement began with three women who had terrible childhoods. “How ironic that these three intelligent women (Betty Friedan, Germaine Greer, and Gloria Steinem), none of women is currently married, have so influenced our current notions of family and motherhood” (Dr. Brenda Hunter).
In the chat room, we have been discussing the book Home By Choice by Dr. Hunter. If you ever want to be convinced of the value of mothers at home with their children, I encourage you to buy this book and read it carefully. Dr. Hunter was raised by a single mother and tells of the fear and loneliness she felt growing up without a mother at home most of the time.
She also explains how children need a mother at home whether they are an infant or a teenager. The infant needs all of their needs taken care of and the warmth of a mother to bond with and a teenager needs a mother at home to guide and encourage them through the turbulent teenage years.
A mother at home is a steady, comforting presence for her husband and her children. But she must be a wife and mother who is actively involved in their lives and looking well to the ways of her household. She must be willing to take time to listen to them, look them in the eyes, and show them plenty of love and affection.
In her book, Dr. Hunter shares that when children don’t have a mother at home, there is a much greater possibility that they will become involved in sex, drugs, and alcohol. I saw this happening to the peers in my high school who had working mothers. Their lives seemed aimless and empty so they filled it with things that harmed them. I never wanted to do any of those things because I knew it would hurt my mother badly and I loved my her deeply. She was there for me my entire childhood and thus, I grew up to be loved and secure.
Yes, the three major women who began the modern feminists movement came from broken homes and had distant mothers. They had never experienced a warm and loving mother with intact parents. Yet, they were used by the enemy to cause dissatisfaction among millions of mothers who left their homes and gave their children the same lonely childhoods that these three women experienced. Tragic.
Go home, mothers, and nurture your own children. If you are a single mother or widow, ask the Lord to make a way for you to go home since your children need you there regardless of your circumstances. Trust God and then step out in faith believing that He will provide what He has commanded.
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried:
he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Psalm 18:30
10 thoughts on “Feminists’ Leaders Had Terrible Mothers”
So sad that they didn’t have very lovingly mothers to guide them to become better women, not promoting murder.
To this day I believe there is no more important role in this world than being a mom!!! My mom worked full time from
When I was 2 yrs old till she died in 2005. My family was riddled with addiction. My mom and dad were alcoholics My sister to this day sells drugs and I had a battle with addiction years ago as well. It’s simple. We are products of our own environment plain and simple. We can do our best to break the cycle growing up but it can only be done with the strength of Christ.
The feminist movement has destroyed families and family values.
Why strive so hard outside the home when inside the home is failing so much
Our strength as a child starts with our mom at home. Not working outside the home Families always want more and more to find happiness instead of less to find happiness.
Feminist believe self worth is found in careers and making extra money. Being CEO being police officers. That’s a noble thought but not st the sacrifice of raising your children!!!
This world would have us believe self worth is a bank account and big home and vehicles.
Do you really need that $50,000 vehicle. NO U don’t. Do u need that $750,000 home. No u don’t
Go to a casino. Have you ever seen anyone in there smiling and having real fun??? Why are they there trying to win money???
Don’t worry about winning money and power.
I wish dads made just enough. Moms were at home I wish kids still prayed in school
As a stay at home mom you might not see a paycheck now. But wait till the riches Christ has waiting for you as a paycheck for your good works
Actually, Friedan didn’t come from a broken family. and her mother was a devoted stay at home mom.
I am not sure where you are getting your information Brian, but the books about Friedan and Wikipedia paint a portrait of a woman who “She spoke of her own ‘terror’ at being alone, wrote that she had never once in her life seen a positive female role-model who worked outside the home and also kept a family, and cited numerous cases of housewives who felt similarly trapped.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Friedan
This women appears to have carried on a almost full time career at writing for journals and her own books, neglecting her children and ultimately ended up with huge regrets.
To say that she was a “stay at home Mom” who hated it and did not focus her attention on her family and home life, may be accurate for some periods in her life, but misses the whole point of the post and what it means to be a stay at home Mom.
Brother, I read the link you gave me. You somehow missed that Friedan was not talking about herself but of another woman. I’m somewhat surprised that you missed that.
From my understanding, Betty Friedans mother was a stay at home mother, that is, until her husband fell ill. She then started writing a society page for the local newspaper.
https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/friedan-betty
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Friedan
The two above sources may be of some help.
Dr. Brenda Hunter wrote this about Betty’s life: “Betty, who felt like an outcast as an adolescent, grew up in a home where marital conflict reigned. She reached adulthood, angry at her rejecting mother…she grew up in a household short on mother love. According to Betty’s sister, Amy, their mother, Marion, had ‘a complete inability to nurture…We really absolutely did not have a mother loving us.’ Cohen remarks that Betty’s mother was intensely critical of her and made Betty feel both unwanted and ugly.”
A mother can stay home and be horrid to her children. Her mother may of been harsh and distant because she longed to work outside the home. Just wanted to try and clear the issue up a little more. Regardless, i do agree the best place for a mother is in the home, full time. ?
My husband would like for me to return to work part time once both of our children are in school. If he still wants this once the time comes I will do it as I have faith that submitting to my husband is what God has commanded me to do. He is not a believer but he is a good man so I follow the words in 1Peter and trust that the Lord will take care of the rest.
In the mean time I am praying about it and have felt God telling me to live up to my calling as a homemaker with all my heart and soul so that my husband will see the worth in this.
Thankfully my son’s school does not offer after school care so either way once they are both in school I will only be able to work within those hours. My heart longs to be home but above all I do not want my children in the care of others after a long school day. I want to pick them up, make afternoon tea, do homework together and play as we do now.
I wish being a homemaker in ALL seasons was more readily accepted. I feel like being a stay at home mum to young children is seen as okay but once they are in school it is considered lazy to be at home tending to the house and your husband while remaining available to attend sports days, help with reading in class, help in the tuckshop, help with home work, walk your children to and from class etc
I will pray about this ☺
According to Wikipedia: Her mother’s new life outside the home seemed much more gratifying.
Of course if a woman resents being “trapped in the house”, “chained to the kitchen sink”, then it makes absolutely no sense to stay at home. She will negatively influence her children if she believes that outside there are so many better things to do.
A stay at home mother has an added value if she thinks that taking care of the children is such a valuable task that cannot be delegated to anyone else. Her children are not a burden that stop her to do better, but a blessing for which she is grateful.