Mother Culture - The Habit of Reading

Di bawah ini adalah bahasan dari potongan artikel by A., edited by Charlotte Mason di majalah Parent's Review, Volume 3, no. 2, 1892/93, pgs. 92-95. Tentang pentingnya membaca bagi para ibu.

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Excerpt from the article:
#1 Membaca adalah cara nomor satu untuk berbagai masalah sebagai ibu rumah tangga
#2 Ada tiga jenis buku yang perlu ada di list bacaan ibu
#3 Kemampuan membaca cepat (fast-reading)
#4 Beralih sebentar dari kewajiban mengurus anak justru meningkatkan respek anak terhadap waktu ibunya
#5 Bertumbuh bersama
Free Printable Quotes Charlotte Mason (I am, I can, I ought, I will)

Excerpt from the article:

Is there not some need for "mother culture"? But how is the state of things to be altered? So many mothers say, "I simply have no time for myself!" "I never read a book!" Or else, "I don't think it is right to think of myself!" They not only starve their minds, but they do it deliberately, and with a sense of self-sacrifice which seems to supply ample justification. There are, moreover, unfortunately, only too many people who think that sort of thing so lovely that public opinion appears to justify it. But does public opinion justify anything? Does it justify tight-lacing--or high heels--or bearing-reins for horses? It can never justify anything which leads to the "Oh, it's only mother" tone in any young person.

That tone is not the right one. But can it be altered? Each mother must settle this for herself. She must weigh things in the balance. She must see which is the most important--the time spent in luxuriously gloating over the charms of her fascinating baby, or what she may do with that time to keep herself "growing" for the sake of that baby "some day," when it will want her even more than it does now.

The only way to do it is to be so strongly impressed with the necessity for growing herself that she herself makes it a real object in life. She can only rarely be helped from the outside. The resolute planting of Miss Three-years-old in her chair at one end of the table with her toys, of Master Five-years-old at the other with his occupations, and fascinating Master Baby on the rug on the floor with his ring and his ball--the decided announcement, "Now mother is going to be busy"--will do those young people a world of good! Though some of their charms will be missed, they will gain respect from mother's time, and some self-reliance into the bargain, while mother's tired back gets a rest, if only for a short time, either on the sofa or flat upon the floor. Then she can listen to her children, and perhaps do a little thinking--not about frocks and foods, but about characters, and how to deal with them; or she can take a book, and "grow" that way. This would do something, but not enough. Mother must have time to herself. And we must not say "I cannot." Can any of us say till we have tried, not for one week, but for one whole year, day after day, that we "cannot" get one half-hour out of the twenty-four for "Mother Culture?"--one half-hour in which we can read, think, or "remember."

The habit of reading is so easily lost; not so much, perhaps, the power of enjoying books as the actual power of reading at all. It is incredible how, after not being able to use the eyes for a time, the habit of reading fast has to be painfully regained. The power to read fast is much to be desired, and the people who read every word are left sadly behind the people who read from full stop to full stop at a glance. This power is what our children are gaining at school, and this power is what we are losing when we refuse to give a little time out of our lives to "Mother Culture." It is worth anything to get and to keep even that; and to do it, it is not a bit necessary to read "stiff" books.

The wisest woman I ever knew--the best wife, the best mother, the best mistress, the best friend--told me once, when I asked her how, with her weak health and many calls upon her time, she managed to read so much, " I always keep three books going--a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for!" That is the secret; always have something "going" to grow by. If we mothers were all "growing" there would be less going astray among our boys, less separation in mind from our girls.

It would seem as if we mothers often simply made for ourselves the difficulties we find in after life by shutting our minds up in the present. What we need is a habit of taking our minds out of what one is tempted to call "the domestic rag-bag" of perplexities, and giving it a good airing in something which keeps it "growing." A brisk walk will help. But, if we would do our best for our children, grow we must; and on our power of growth surely depends, not only our future happiness, but our future usefulness.

*terjemahan bebas bahasa Indonesianya bisa dilihat di website Charlotte Mason Indonesia disini.

I personally already read this article more than 10 times!

#1 Membaca adalah cara nomor satu untuk berbagai masalah sebagai ibu rumah tangga

#2 Ada tiga jenis buku yang perlu ada di list bacaan ibu

The wisest woman I ever knew--the best wife, the best mother, the best mistress, the best friend--told me once, when I asked her how, with her weak health and many calls upon her time, she managed to read so much, " I always keep three books going--a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for!" That is the secret; always have something "going" to grow by.

#3 Kemampuan membaca cepat (fast-reading)

.... the habit of reading fast has to be painfully regained. The power to read fast is much to be desired, and the people who read every word are left sadly behind the people who read from full stop to full stop at a glance. This power is what our children are gaining at school, and this power is what we are losing when we refuse to give a little time out of our lives to "Mother Culture." It is worth anything to get and to keep even that; and to do it, ....

Setelah lama tidak membaca (khususnya membaca buku, bukan baca caption instagram atau resep masakan :D), kita perlu melatih ulang mata kita untuk membaca buku 'betulan'.
Membaca-cepat adalah kemampuan yang diajarkan di sekolah dan kita, sebagai ibu rumah tangga, akan ketinggalan dari anak-anak kita apabila lama tidak membaca. Yang mana kemampuan tersebut harus diasah terus menerus.
Apalagi di tengah waktu tersisa sedikit untuk membaca--kemampuan membaca cepat tambah penting..

Can any of us say till we have tried, not for one week, but for one whole year, day after day, that we "cannot" get one half-hour out of the twenty-four for "Mother Culture?"--one half-hour in which we can read, think, or "remember."

#4 Beralih sebentar dari kewajiban mengurus anak justru meningkatkan respek anak terhadap waktu ibunya

The resolute planting of Miss Three-years-old in her chair at one end of the table with her toys, of Master Five-years-old at the other with his occupations, and fascinating Master Baby on the rug on the floor with his ring and his ball--the decided announcement, "Now mother is going to be busy"--will do those young people a world of good!

Supply-demand.. ketika ibu terus menerus dan selalu ada bersama anak, anak tidak tahu bagaimana rasanya jika tidak ada ibu yang menemani dirinya (and how they can help themselves).
Seringkali respek yang lebih rendah terhadap ibu dibanding terhadap ayah adalah karena hal ini dan juga tentu karena efeknya, yaitu ibu tidak menambah pengetahuan.

...they will gain respect from mother's time, and some self-reliance into the bargain, while mother's tired back gets a rest, if only for a short time, either on the sofa or flat upon the floor. Then she can listen to her children, and perhaps do a little thinking--not about frocks and foods, but about characters, and how to deal with them; or she can take a book, and "grow" that way.

#5 Bertumbuh bersama

Each mother must settle this for herself. She must weigh things in the balance. She must see which is the most important--the time spent in luxuriously gloating over the charms of her fascinating baby, or what she may do with that time to keep herself "growing" for the sake of that baby "some day," when it will want her even more than it does now.

Bayi tidak selamanya menjadi bayi. Anak kecil tidak akan selamanya menjadi anak-anak.
Ibu bertumbuh untuk kebaikan bersama--ibu, anak, dan keluarga secara umum.