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A traditional wife says she puts on her “work uniform” to “transition” into being a mum each morning — and never looks like a “slob” around her husband.
US woman Grace Patton, 34, always make sure she is up an hour earlier than her husband so she can feed their 14-month-old daughter, Lily, and get herself ready for the day.
The mother-of-five puts on her make-up, blow dries her hair and puts on a “girly” outfit before cooking breakfast for and waving off her husband, Bradley, 35, to his job in industrial repair.
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Grace even prepares Bradley’s slippers for his return from work each day.
The self-confessed “trad” wife’s daily chores include homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, taking phone calls, laundry and waiting on her family.
The devoted wife, who graduated in early childhood education, cooks each meal from scratch and uses cloth nappies for her three youngest children.
The happy couple split their finances equally and always communicate with each other before making an expensive purchase.
Following the recent “trad wife” controversy around Ballerina Farm influencer Hannah Neeleman, Grace, from the US state of Oklahoma, wants to change perspectives on housewives.
“Since I’m home, I need that transition to working and off work that has to do with pyjamas,” she says.
“Pyjamas are to relax. In the morning, they come off and I change into my clothes. It feels like my work uniform.
“We do things in the same order every day.
“I love being a traditional wife, and I love making him happy.
“I wear what he likes — I’d never want to slob about in baggy tracksuit clothing around him.”
Grace has four children — Leo, 8, Autumn, 3, Max, 2, and Lily, 1, and is step-mother to Bradley’s eldest, who is 16.
Grace grew up in a traditional home and always saw her dad and stepmother happy.
Grace says she and Bradley — who have been married for 10 years — naturally slipped into their roles within the family.
“I always liked the idea of a traditional lifestyle, but now I know I love it,” she said.
Grace is in charge of the cooking — apart from when Bradley wants to barbecue — as well as homeschooling the kids and keeping on top of the household chores.
The couple both look after their garden together.
“During the day, I can get everything done,” Grace says.
“By the time he comes home we get to eat and then that’s it, there is nothing else to do.
“We just hang out as a family.”
Grace stays ahead of chores by batch cooking and organising toys into “bins” so they are tidied throughout the day.
The pair keep their finances in a shared bank account so they can both access it when they need it.
“I don’t need to ask for money for groceries or anything,” Grace says.
“We put our relationship first. It comes before the kids. If our relationship falls apart everything else does.”
The pair set aside time to have a date in the car each Saturday with the children, who are asked to sit silently in the back seats, so their parents can bond for their two-hour coffee date.
Grace feels people have many misconceptions of traditional housewives.
“Our society has normalised you going to work,” she says.
“It’s OK if you to go to work and pay someone else to cook for your children. For us it works really well to stay home and do all these things.
“There’s a bunch of mutual respect for my husband and I.
“It’s the best thing ever for me.”
