Ballerina Farm is the norm in conservative America. It's just that most of us don't have millions. #ballerinafarm #tradwife #exmormon #exchristian #abuse
As a person that appreciates both music and the domestic arts (I love to sew, trying to teach myself to textile, always loved to cook, and often cooked after drawing or painting) there's beauty in both. But, when one is forced as part of a cult or abherration in theology , that's when the fun is taken out. I personally would love wild game, but I love jerky.
You're totally right. I totally agree that there is nothing wrong with wild game, cooking or being a stay at home parent. It's the obligation/coercion that makes it not fun.
@themiddlepath777 I can even get some obligation, in the sense of loving one's children or loving one's spouse, taking care of them the best way one knows how or sees fit. But, I notice that cults and narcissism people take things like "obligation" (a part of life no one really has a problem with, in it of itself) and adds so unrealistic standards as to make them corrosive.
It's strange to me, as someone who grew up around folks who lived what you might call a traditionalist lifestyle not by choice but due to poverty, that folks willingly choose to glorify it. Most of the parents I knew did everything reasonably within their power to give their kids the ability to get out.
I haven't seen much of ballerina farm, but I find it to be cringy. My upbrining in the church wasn't quite like that. We didn't live on a farm or make literally everything from scratch, but we did have a small garden that we grew and processed some of our own food. The main issue my family had was that the women were prone to severe mental health disorders. And you're right, it isn't talked about enough. All of the women in my life had depression and bipolar disorder, and most of the men were condecsending and unhelpful. My father has what I'm certain is undiagnosed autism, so he can't even process or understand most life situations let alone take the reigns in childrearing from a mentally unstable partner. It wasn't until I became a parent myself that I realized how big of an impact mental health problems can have on a child. It's part of the reason I stopped after one kid. I knew it would be a disaster to have more. Literally ALL of the women who are my age in my family have made similar choices. But this is coming from a generation who was raised in the church and chose to leave (all of us). If we were still in the church, it would absolutely look a lot like balerina farm, but without the whimsical charm. It would be a mental health disaster, and sadly, it's something that the Mormon church is more than happy to overlook. They don't even really believe in mental healthcare, so it's not surprising that many of these marriages end up with a lot of problems.
Hey, you don't know me, but i would like to hold your hand and tell you, you're so brave It takes real bravery to confront the truth. So much easier to hide in delusion. I don't think i could've been as brave of a woman as you were Thank you for sharing your story
This was insightful! I do like the ballerina farm account, but it's interesting to have another opinion on it from someone who also went through this experience.
It's not widely talked about among those who are raised to see this super-trad lifestyle as the ideal, though. Or among fans of Ballerina Farms and such. Pretty sure that's what she meant.
