I Tried Living Like a 1950's Housewife (and failed) WITH KIDS

It's finally DONE! Oh my word this video was a beast to edit. Last week I tried living like a 1950s housewife... but with kids! I may or may not have failed, it all depends on your perception of the week. I'm probably never going to do something like this again but it was SO fun trying, even with all of the failures and exhaustion. I'll definitely be working some of this cleaning routine into my daily life.

The two books I used:
America's Housekeeping Book (1953)
Housewife's Handbook - a Wise Book (1948)

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[WithLoveKristina]

This video is getting a lot of attention lately so I'd like to put out two things:
One, I don't include my kids in my videos a lot (they're here and there, but not all the time) because I do not make them do any sort of filming with me, ever. These videos are just for fun, and aren't things I do regularly. So, those of you suggesting I include my kids in the routine more - they're not involved because this isn't my everyday life and even if it was, I wouldn't really film them unless they actively showed interest in being involved.

Two, I do not support or endorse the toxic shaming of women for "not wanting to please their husbands/being terrible wives/having messy homes" that, thankfully, has only been smattered in a few comments here and there. I would like to very clearly state this: my husband and I work TOGETHER to create a home and in our actual daily lives he is as much a part of the routine as I am. I love the 1950s for aesthetic, and for the fun of trying these routines, but I very much do not want to live with the sexism, ignorance around mental health, racism, homophobia, lack of rights, and plentiful other things wrong with that era. It had its good things too, and I enjoy testing those good things, but there were a lot of things wrong with the era that I don't want to bring into my modern day life and for good reason.

So in short, while these are fun to make it's not my actual life day to day, and while these routines ARE helpful and I DO implement some of them into my life as a working SAHM, my house is not run like this all the time. And, my kids don't show up helping because it's a boundary I've set for myself to respect their privacy. If they wander into a shot and enjoy it, yay! If not, I'm not going to make them be a part of my channel.

[MsDancer]

Nope you didn't fail, I remember just how frazzled everyones mom was in the late 50s and early 60s [ I was born in 1952 ] there was no make up on moms unless they were going somewhere, I remember older moms in house dresses and head scarves and younger moms in shorts or slacks and loose shirts and all in aprons lol. Kids were told to go outside and play in all kinds of weather. And it seemed every mom did the same thing on the same day, Mondays in summer were full of wash on the line. Babies were kept in playpens and dinners were either boiled or roasted so they could cook mostly unwatched and dessert if there was one was most likely jello or canned fruit cocktail. So at least to my elderly memory you nailed it.

[rach]

If all the kids and members of the family are alive and happy you've succeeded.

[loyalopposition]

My grandmother was a 1950s housewife who had 9 children. You nailed it. She worked hard. She also gardened and bottled fruit in the fall. She sewed clothes for her children and served at church. Her glamor wasn't in how she dressed, though she was quite beautiful. It was the warmth of her home. Her success wasn't in a perfect routine or textbook house. Her triump was in raising 9 happy, healthy children and creating a comfortable, inviting home where she showed her love through her dedication. I admire her. I miss her.

Keep it real. You're authenticity is charming. You captured the truth of being a wife and mother in any generation.

[ygarza]

This is probably more authentic than any other 1950’s video. 💕

[natashaa]

As a mum this was what I was waiting for, a 50s week whilst dealing with kids. Thank you, you did good. x

[zeusathena]

All mom's will tell you "if the kids are still alive at the end of the day, you did well!" You did great!

[quycksylver]

I don't think you failed at all. Those books and magazine articles always make it sound so easy, but I think your experiences are a lot closer to the reality for most women of that time--especially when you add kids into the mix. I really liked how you showed the difficulty of pulling this off.

I hope you and your family had a great Christmas!

[lindseyp]

youre the only person ive seen so far attempt this with kids..and when i saw "with kids" i was like oh she has maybe 2...but 4?? god bless you <3 you did better than i think you believe you did

[louisegreen]

Thank you for your work on this. None of your days were a "fail". My Mom was married in 1955 after 5.5 years she had 4 small children to look after. I asked her about some of the other "day/life in 1950's videos". She laughed. No her house was not always clean, no she did not greet her husband after work in a cutesy dress! Although she did dress up and they went dancing on Saturday nights (we got the babysitter). No, the laundry was NEVER caught up... etc. This was a very realistic video .. and great camera work.

[lee-annjefferson]

No day is a failure if it ends with everyone alive and well. You have 4 beautiful children who are happy and healthy. 50’s housewives started training for the lifestyle pretty much at birth You did an amazing job ❤️

[StephanieCanada]

Oh my I have so many thoughts about this (all good). First, I love this! Second, your husbands face when you gave him the drink was priceless!! Third, I think you shared a side of life that folks don’t usually show and that is important.

[undermoonlight]

I'm so glad you made this. All the other videos were of women without children and that really has a way of making a woman feel inadequate when they're comparing their home, time, and routine to someone without children. This seemed so much more relatable and realistic. It might not have been perfect, but it wasn't a failure by any means. It's actually given me hope that a daily routine will help me through my depression and struggles with mental illness.

[kaylynnanson]

For a supposed failed attempt, this was a pretty authentic and successful experiment. The average home back then was 2.5 kids, and you, brave lady, have FOUR sweet kids. I appreciate how honest a look this is into reality and not just a retro dreamscape. Don't be so hard on yourself, you did GREAT. Have a beautiful day.

[jin]

I showed my great grandma this video and she loved it thank you so much it brought memorys back to her 😭

[kaitlynwagner]

You did not fail! You did amazing! You took care of your home and your babies and your hubby! All happy healthy and loved! Thats whats important ❤

[tinawallace]

They never had a thing for the look. It was their lives. They were busy and exhausted. But the family and home was well loved and cared for plus they took care of themselves too ❤️ You did accomplish it.

[WithLoveKristina]

I know, I know - Saturday is MISSING. But I ended up having to go last-minute Christmas shopping that day, and totally forgot to mention that in my recap I'm sorry!!! This video was a beast to make and edit, I really hope y'all enjoy it! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

[patriciakellyadams]

Every housewife in the 1950s was EXHAUSTED!

[scoobydoo]

You didn’t fail at all, you did the most real video I have ever seen