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They are not difficult to point out as their outfits and mannerism clearly distinguishes them. They are the ones that look as if they just got out of the bed. With their hair net, which is meant for the bedroom, and the over worn strapless gown that clearly indicates that it was once a party wear now turned to a sleep wear. They are the ones that have their wrapper tied on their chest and sometimes you may catch them with their Dunlop slippers and little traces of kitchen sooth on their legs. I watch them and wonder why the housewives have are so obvious. Sometimes you can also tell them by their lack of time consciousness, staying back in the school compound after they have dropped their children in their classes to hold idle talks with friends. Yes, I call them idle talks because I wonder what you have to stand and loudly laugh about that early in the morning, while others are hurriedly leaving the compound to get about their daily business. Could be the reason people call them “idle housewives” which they are far from being.

          Have you ever wondered what housewives do? I used to wonder that too till I found myself as a housewife. Firstly, you have to know that housewives aren’t uneducated, uncultured and dummies (at least am not). They are wives who for various reasons aren’t working ‘outside” the home. Some women become housewives because they are uneducated and therefore haven’t got anywhere to fix themselves in the labour market, some because their husbands want them to stay home and take care of his children, and others because they haven’t got a job yet and others out of choice. The housewife basically does the work of a mother, teacher, disciplinarian (because she is the one that is always home). She is  involved in a continuous flow of job that most times are taken for granted and because she is a housewife, she hardly goes anywhere. Being a housewife can be boring especially for those that have been engaged in a form of work before they got married. A housewife tends to put on a lot of weight because when her job is done and sometimes out of want of things to busy herself with, she makes do with films, food and snacks. Housewives can be involved in great deal of gossips and idle chatter. These are definitely bad characters and the general belief of people of housewives. It doesn’t matter if you are a housewife by choice or default but you find yourself doing one of the aforementioned deeds. Relax sister because change has come.

               You can start by loving yourself first. Take an inventory and find out who you are and work on it. You can be homeschooled, though if you hadn’t gone to a secondary school, you might need to get help. Develop the habit of reading books. Most women don’t like reading but it is only in books that you go out of your house and venture into unknown places. You can start with your child’s literature books. They are easy and fun to read and gradually you will find yourself going for things your age. Be updated in current affairs. You don’t have to be a ‘Mrs know’ it all, but you don’t also totally have to be in the dark either.

           Be fashionable. I don’t mean spending all your feeding money on clothing and accessories but be decently and smartly dressed. Seriously, who says that you can’t dress up for ‘school run’. Dress neatly and you will see your confidence soaring. Maximize your time by planning the day’s activities and working towards achieving it. Don’t procrastinate over things that need to be done. Plan ahead. You can make things easier by doing your house chores in the night after putting the children to bed. If you can do that you get enough time to engage in a meaningful activity when the kids aren’t home. You can also learn a handiwork because, believe me, the kids will grow up and leave the home sooner than u think. Exercise will help you lose excess weight, be fit and healthy and still make  your husband desirous of you. Being a housewife isn’t old fashionable as many younger women are staying at home nowadays. It surely affords you ample time   with your family. Be wise, be the best and take pleasure in being a modern-day housewife.

           Sometimes, housewives get so involved with the family needs that they forget that life should also exist outside the home as the home is only a foundation. One of the things I enjoy most about working outside the home is that you get to meet people and engage in adult talk and of course learn a few things in the process.  As housewives, you can come together weekly or daily to learn various things. You can start a reading club, baking or sewing class or other handicraft work where you learn from each other. In such cases, ground rules should be set that must definitely include no gossips. The meeting should be for purely educative reasons.   Get involved in something meaningful. You can train to be computer literate. There are a lot of fun things you can do on the internet.    There are lots of things you can discover about yourself. Get to work and be that person that only you can be. Make an impact and leave your prints in the sand of time.