A young girl must learn how to manage a home. It may seem trivial, but daily life reveals much. Learning to keep a house clean, manage supplies, and even ensure the smooth running of the household is essential. It’s true that some families have domestic helpers (the virtuous woman mentioned in the Holy Book in Proverbs 31 had them too), but it’s important to pay attention to what they do and how they do it, as the future is uncertain.

Perhaps as an adult, you may or may not have domestic help, and it will be challenging to oversee a task that you don’t know how to perform and have no understanding of its execution. You might argue that some girls grew up as orphans and didn’t receive close guidance. I agree with you, and this is also one of the reasons for this book—to draw young girls’ attention to aspects that were not taught in their respective families.

Just as a parent does not teach a child their bad habits, the child must supplement their learning by observing their surroundings because there are good things around us that are worth imitating. For example, you may notice that a friend’s house is well-organized and ask her how she manages it, to see if she faces the same challenges as you, such as children scribbling everywhere, etc.

In short, the point is that we can learn in various ways; it just requires recognizing your shortcomings and being curious. Adorn yourself with humility and appreciation towards others to glean the best from them. We can improve and perfect ourselves; we can become a better version of ourselves…

This text is an excerpt from the book Letter from an Elder Sister: Practical Advice to a Young Girl for a Successful Adult Life by Syntyche IHINDI.

We invite you to read the following article: “BEING A MOTHER.“

Managing a Home