My daughter was recently telling me about an experience she had at school. Her English teacher was talking about his experiences when he was younger. He told the students that there was a time when people started to realize that bread was not good for them, and bread companies almost went out of business.
“Can you imagine if that had happened?” he asked them. “There would be no bread anymore.”
“What do you mean there wouldn’t be any bread?” my daughter responded. “People would just bake their own bread.” Because that’s a simple solution.
But then she realized that her classmates were looking at her as if vines were growing out of her head and traveling down her back. “No one bakes bread,” they told her definitively.
At that point, I imagine she shrugged, puzzled, and went about her business. She turned to a friend and quietly said, “My mom bakes bread all the time….”
That afternoon, as she told me the story, I could only chuckle. “I have to agree with your classmates. No one bakes bread anymore.”
This was one of those moments when my daughter realized that even though she might think our family is completely normal, maybe it’s not. And it was a moment for me to recognize that my kids might be a bit sheltered.
So what if my kids live a sheltered life? If “normal” means we don’t eat home-baked bread, I’d rather not be normal!
Positively Un-broken 
I think it’s wonderful that you bake bread. Fresh baked bread is delicious. Healthy food. Healthy family. Both my grandmothers used to can fruits and vegetables plus bake from scratch. My maternal grandmother was born in 1905 in West Virginia and moved to Dayton, Ohio when my Mom & Aunts were little girls. My paternal grandmother was born in the late 1890s, married in Jan. 1919. Both my parents were born in 1930 during the Great Depression so at that time there were no big grocery stores like Pathmark or Shop Rite. Both my grandmothers had to go buy fresh food from each type of store every day. I remember my mother speaking of the old pot bellied stoves. Both my grandmothers had to make clothes for their children. They could not afford store bought clothing except maybe on special occasions
As for me I have inherited None of the cooking or domestic skills of my Mom or my grandmothers. I don’t like to cook and I spend hours and hours at work. Basically I live at my job. It’s a good thing I never married or had kids! I was in a Common Law relationship but he cooked Not Me! I’m Definitely Not Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart! LOL!!
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Your family history is similar to mine in many ways. My maternal grandmother was born in 1902, my paternal grandmother was born sometime in the 1890s. My maternal grandmother was much like yours–she cooked, baked, canned food, sewed clothes for a family that included 5 girls. Much of my cooking/baking/canning/sewing skill was passed down through my mom. I enjoy cooking and baking, though I don’t always have the time. 🙂
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Mmmm…home-baked bread!!!! 🙂 Your daughter is very lucky!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!! 🙂
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Home-baked bread is so yummy! And it makes the house smell heavenly! 🙂
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