journal 1
When my sister and I were growing up, Mom never had a job outside the home, but she took here role as “homemaker” very seriously. Over the course of 30+ years our parents built 3 family homes, and in each of those endeavors, Mom was not only physically involved in the building process, but she was also the book keeper and head cook and bottle washer. As a union carpenter, Dad handled the heavy lifting on site while holding down a regular job as well.
Recently, while going through an old cedar chest, my sister found one of Mom’s ledgers detailing the expenses for the house they started on old Lee’s Summit Road in Independence, Missouri in 1957. After losing their first house to the Interstate Highway System, they purchased 4 acres near Drumm Farm and began construction on what I’m sure they thought would be our residence for the rest of their lives.
As a retired builder, it is fascinating to me to go back and look at the entries in this journal and see the costs of the building in chronological order, from purchase of the acreage, to the building permit ($10), to utility lines, foundation and right on through to paint and furniture.
And then there are more personal connections, like seeing Mom’s handwriting and her understanding of accounting. Another touching entry is finding the entry for payment to Bill Sisk for paper hanging. Like many of the people that Mom and Dad hired to help build their homes, Bill was a personal friend in the trades, and my sister and I were friends with the Sisk boys, Alan and Randy.
What I take away from these memories is that for baby boomers, our parents were often partners in ways that married couples today are not. Two income families have changed the dynamic. I don’t know if it’s for the better or the worse, but it is definitely different.
I do know that I was a lucky guy to have been the product of their partnership.
journal 1
When my sister and I were growing up, Mom never had a job outside the home, but she took here role as “homemaker” very seriously. Over the course of 30+ years our parents built 3 family homes, and in each of those endeavors, Mom was not only physically involved in the building process, but she was also the book keeper and head cook and bottle washer. As a union carpenter, Dad handled the heavy lifting on site while holding down a regular job as well.
Recently, while going through an old cedar chest, my sister found one of Mom’s ledgers detailing the expenses for the house they started on old Lee’s Summit Road in Independence, Missouri in 1957. After losing their first house to the Interstate Highway System, they purchased 4 acres near Drumm Farm and began construction on what I’m sure they thought would be our residence for the rest of their lives.
As a retired builder, it is fascinating to me to go back and look at the entries in this journal and see the costs of the building in chronological order, from purchase of the acreage, to the building permit ($10), to utility lines, foundation and right on through to paint and furniture.
And then there are more personal connections, like seeing Mom’s handwriting and her understanding of accounting. Another touching entry is finding the entry for payment to Bill Sisk for paper hanging. Like many of the people that Mom and Dad hired to help build their homes, Bill was a personal friend in the trades, and my sister and I were friends with the Sisk boys, Alan and Randy.
What I take away from these memories is that for baby boomers, our parents were often partners in ways that married couples today are not. Two income families have changed the dynamic. I don’t know if it’s for the better or the worse, but it is definitely different.
I do know that I was a lucky guy to have been the product of their partnership.