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It takes less than 2 minutes for popcorn to be ready using a microwave. But what do we lose when we forget to make it on a stove? Think about the last time you prepared something from scratch? Did it feel different from pressing a button?
If I could share one idea with the pioneers of development communication, including Dr. Nora Quebral, I would like to talk about a vision that aims to empower individuals by strengthening their practical homemaking skillset.
I may never get the chance, but the reflection stayed with me. I tried thinking of what communities really need in order for individuals to personally experience development. I then started to search about how people view homemaking skills and why they are important because I personally I believe that homemaking skills are more than how we commonly see them—just for stay-at-home moms or dads.
Looking at the younger generation, I fear that developing their homemaking skills has become a serious challenge due to rapid technological advancement. With all kinds of technology at the tip of their fingers, they get many things done in a few minutes or even seconds such as putting the popcorn packet in the microwave and waiting for 90 seconds for it to be ready. Traditionally, you turn on the stove, heat some oil on a pot and when it’s ready, you put in the corn kernels and patiently wait for them to pop. Because of the conveniences they grow up with, I’m afraid that homemaking skills, or survival skills, as the earlier generations have called them, might slowly be considered unnecessary by these children.
Still, I stand my ground, but I needed something to confirm or support this.
While I was searching, I came across an article about home economics by Kids Britannica. It said that this subject is sometimes described as life education within a school curriculum. Interestingly, it also mentioned various topics that it covers including food and nutrition, clothing and textile, housing, home equipment, home management, family economics, child development, and family relations. My eyes were suddenly opened to an irony we’ve been living in. I realized how simple we see home economics and sometimes neglect it, not knowing that these topics meant for homemaking are preparing us for more complex problems and professions we may have in the future.
Doctors and nutritionists need to learn about food, diet, and nutrition to give wise advice. Chefs and restaurateurs master the art of making food so people can enjoy hearty meals. Fashion designers and dressmakers learn everything they need to make clothing fit for every occasion, body type and size, and weather. Engineers and architects are required to have basic knowledge about housing and home equipment to build reliable and functional structures. Politicians and economists work together to make sound economic and political decisions for the betterment of our home, state. But above all these, the family, which is smallest unit, is where we acquire values and learn to build and sustain relationships to prepare us for important social roles we are meant to take on in the future.
Unless we help people realize how relevant these skills are despite all technological advances, they may not be encouraged to learn and pass on these things to their children and grandchildren.
What if technology fails at a time we least expect it to happen? How would we expect them to survive without knowing how to utilize what they have? If worse comes to worst, they can survive in the world with these skills, their hands, feet, and body—all that enable them to think and move without requiring technological assistance. Homemaking skills are not relics of the past; they are the foundation of resilience. Let’s us never allow convenience to erase them.