A few months ago, I bought something “from underneath” my mother. That’s a Southern expression, by the way; it means she saw it first, and I sidled up and stole it. She was a gracious good sport about it too.

My semi-stolen item was a book: “The Girl’s Daily Life.” Published in 1944 by J.B. Lippincott Company, it was used for a time as a textbook in Raleigh’s public schools, according to the inside cover. I paid $5 for it at the flea market, and I can’t stop pouring over it.

Apparently, part of the curriculum at that time was to give young girls an education about their expected roles in society as wives and mothers.

It is at times hilarious and antiquated and, interestingly enough, sometimes fairly modern.

On pregnancy
The authors had some interesting ideas on pregnancy.

“Violent exercise, such as tennis, riding, dancing and swimming should be pursued only on the advice of a physician.” I never knew there was such a thing as violent exercise. What an excellent excuse for those days when you’re feeling, well, just a little lazy: “I’d love to come, but I make it a point not to engage in violent exercise.”

But, according to the authors, “Ordinary housework is the best kind of exercise for the prospective mother.” Of course it is.

A prospective mother also needed to be careful of how she dressed.

“Avoid any appearance of fullness around the waist. Choose small prints and plain materials in soft dark colors. Hats should be carefully chosen. Turbans and very small hats emphasize the fullness of the face and the bulk of the body. Brimmed hats are usually more becoming.”

Fast forward to 1991 when Vanity Fair featured a naked and pregnant Demi Moore on its cover.

Plenty of judgments
As if impending first-time motherhood wasn’t stressful enough, girls were also cautioned with this:
“The period before the birth of the baby may determine its entire life for good or ill.” So, whatever you do, don’t get nervous. It’s all in your hands.

The book also lambastes people who choose not to have children “because of their selfish desires” and maintains families should definitely have more than one child if possible, as “the only child is not always a happy, well-developed person” and is “apt to be pampered or overdisciplined.”

Ouch. It seems the good old days were also pretty judgmental.

Surprisingly modern
To the book’s credit, however, it encourages women to pursue interests outside of the family and not be a slave to the home: “A woman who keeps her own interests alive will not be ‘caught short’ when her children are grown and she is left with more time on her hands than she ever had before.”

And in 1944, nursing your baby was strongly encouraged, just as it is now. “There is no adequate substitute for mother’s milk for feeding the young infant. Every mother who can possibly do so should nurse her baby.”

And this one, I really liked:
“After the birth of the baby, the mother will regain her strength gradually. She should not resume full responsibility of the home or care of the baby until she feels fully recovered. Extra help will be needed in the home for a few weeks after the mother has returned home from the hospital.”

What the heck happened in more than 60 years? Now, women are booted from the hospital less than 48 hours after a conventional delivery. And I’ve never met a woman who didn’t hit the ground running as soon as she got back.

Mixed feelings
This book leaves me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it made me upset that a textbook was pushing society’s labels and expectations upon young women before they even reached a marrying age. Yet, I know the book is simply a product of its generation.

On the other hand, I see the merit in this book too as the authors sought to prepare young girls for the life awaiting most of them after high school. It might not be a bad idea to teach our kids practical life skills in public school. I think our kids would benefit from learning how to balance a checkbook or learning the definition of a credit score and what it will mean when they go to buy a car or a house in later years.

What do you think? My son’s not in school yet, so I don’t have my finger on the pulse of this issue. Are your children learning life skills in school via different projects or classes? Or is it something you’re teaching them at home? Aside from intellectual pursuits, are you teaching them to cook or sew or do laundry? Boys too! What about changing a tire or hanging a light fixture?

I can’t do most of these things, but I did introduce my son to baking this past Christmas. He bailed before we frosted the last cookie.

I’m curious about your experiences. E-mail me at writer@christagala.comand I’ll include responses in a future column.