Josh wrote:It seems like more of an artefact of growing up with a stable, traditional culture with accumulated wealth and not a lot of debt, so in a 2-parent family, both parents don't need to work, and were single-parent families just don't really happen that often.
Stable, traditional culture - yes. We have much to be thankful for.
Accumulated wealth - sometimes, but not necessarily. My observation is that sometimes the more well-to-do among us seem to be more open to the idea of the wife working outside the home for a time after marriage.
Not a lot of debt - yes, sometime, but more due to training and tradition than inherited wealth. Young couples learn to skimp, save, and make do. Growing a large garden cuts the grocery bill and provides worthwhile work to keep the children occupied. The Swiss-German work ethic, thriftiness, and economic viewpoint are strong. Generally the only large debt that a family would be expected to have (other than if self-employed) would be the mortgage, which doesn't have to be that large if the house is simple.
Josh wrote:
Yet if I look at the early Swiss Brethren, many of them were people attending church alone - without their spouse. And how they were raising their kids - and concepts like a stay at home mother (when both mothers and fathers had to work, a lot, just to survive) - isn't a topic of discussion that even shows up anywhere.
Farming was common, and even those in the trades often worked in their homes or close by, with family members helping. If a man had a harness shop, his children could help to cut and stitch the leather, for instance. This being the prevailing culture of the times we wouldn't expect them to write about it as a Christian peculiarity.
