The chore where everyone wants to linger ….
The deep architecture of the human soul means your family will not have durable family identity if it is not a site of primary production. Any group that wishes to form and transmit an identity must produce part of what it consumes. The argument for why is complex and relies heavily on experience, but a shorthand is that the human firmware codes pure consumption as a juvenile and therefore a dependent state. Earning an income is not enough. Hiring out production is not enough. To reach the deep level, the production and consumption must be tactile. Or rather, experienced.
One easy way is to become a household—a locus of material production of domestic goods. Cook meals, if nothing else.
Cultural production
But cultural primary production is even easier—it happens even without trying just through proximity and interaction—and the consumption and the production occur simultaneously.
Man is the culture-producing and consuming animal.
Mankind is the culture-producing and consuming animal, so this is a natural and high reward activity.
In future transmissions we will hit on common forms of cultural production such as
· Invented games
· Music, especially singing
· Family stories
· Art
· Reading books out loud
· Parlor games
· Amateur theatricals
· Shared worlds
Even something as simple as watching movies together as a family (or as friends,) can lead to cultural production though shared references and quotes. Though you must pay very careful attention to the deep narratives the movies are giving your children, which are often carefully crafted.
Producing Culture and Stuff at the Same Time
In this transmission, however, we wish to hit on the synergy between household and cultural production.
At minimum, when household production is shared, when it is done together, it becomes an experience and therefore also a form of cultural production. Your hunt or fruitpicking expedition or lambslaughter today is a family story tomorrow.
Even the most well off family will engage in some forms of household primary production purely for the cultural production that occurs.
But also keep in mind that a lot of of household work, done together as a family, leaves you free to talk. Time working together is also time to make culture together. Tell stories, read stories, sing, tell jokes or riddles, watch a movie or sports. You can make chores sweet.
Steader Reports
We are taking turns reading a book out loud while we can apples. Our church has a broadcast that we watched too.
I have a big garden. In the summer the whole family weeds for 15 minutes in the early morning. Someone reads for the bible or else each person tells their sweet or sour from the day before.
College football season for us is green chile season. Whatever Saturday we get our green chiles roasted we watch our team and husk the chiles. It’s the fall experience for us.
At my house we talk (usually on history, theology, or some combination) or read aloud. Often the kids treat task time as question time and will ask whatever comes to mind. Sometimes I'll share something I've read lately to the wife and the whole family will bat it around
I have fond memories of my Dad talking to me about history or political economy while we were digging postholes.
The kids always turn whatever chore it is into a competition. We embrace that and celebrate the winner with some sort of prize or special privilege. Depending on what it is we might handicap the elder child or combine the output of the younger ones to make things more even. That makes it more of a challenge and keeps everyone interested.
Lots of listening to music. Sometimes we read BrainQuest trivia questions (the old ones, before they got bought)
Dad joke your way to destiny.