Women are often known as the heart of the home. This title suggests that women play a vital role in the family, which is true. Women are to the home as the heart is to the body. That's how much importance we hold. Now, the man is often called the head of the home or family, many feminists would shun this statement as being sexist, demeaning or belittling to women. The way I see it is this: just as the head is an important and vital organ to the body, so too is the heart. They are both equally important and vital but each in their own unique way, they depend on each other and must work together in order to function successfully. The brain needs the heart to pump blood to it, and the heart needs the brain to send signals for it to beat. If one of these organs suffers the whole body suffers, and this is true in the case of the family. A family needs a man as it’s head and a woman’s as it’s heart.
The head and the heart of the home are so crucial, and if there is a lack of fulfillment in the roles of either the husband or wife, the entire family suffers. When we look at the common problems that we face as a society, we can see that so much of it can be traced back to deficiencies in the home. Issues such as addictions, drug abuse, infidelity, negligence, physical and emotional abuse, and divorce are just a small fraction of the havoc that has been reeked upon the world because of the breakdown of the family, which ultimately relates back to the role of the man and the woman. We have failed to see the link between this breakdown in the home and the many challenges present in society today.
We are all broken people in one way or another, our inclination to sin makes us vulnerable, so if we don't constantly work to grow more virtuous, our souls and the souls of those around us are bound to suffer. A mother's role is irreplaceable, and God designed us to be naturally nurturing and caring. Bearing children is one of our most treasured abilities and privileges. Yet, women still feel as though they are insufficient, and in search for gender equality, which God has already granted us from the beginning of time, women feel that they must compete with men. I think this fight has caused women to always be yearning for accomplishments first and neglecting their primary role as caregivers for their families. We are very privileged to be women, and I remember this by looking to Our Lady, who was co-redeemer of the world, as our role model, this alone should help us understand how important our role is to our families, and simultaneously, for society. The family is the base of society, for from it springs those who shape society and develop its norms, such as leaders, politicians, doctors and other professionals.
As women in the home, sometimes we have trouble with our identity as just wives or mothers... we forget that we are the daughters of God. Our service and sacrifice to our families which we often find monotonous and unrewarding is like a tiny seed which grows silently and is hidden under the ground, but if nurtured properly, will bear much fruit. It is the highest honour and most esteemed role to be a wife and mother, and our recognition and reward will come from seeing the fruits of our labours, embodied in the strong, devout and resilient children we raise who will, with God's grace, shape our society into one that will support and uplift the sanctity and importance of femininity and motherhood.
-M