There are a gazillion things that have to be done around the home to keep it going — do the floors, mend that garment, dust, read, set goals, make meals, send out emails, sweep the porch, walk the dog, bake a pie, drink cocoa, make the bed, do dishes, shop, get on the school board, object if your town wants to put in a striptease joint, visit a friend, read the newspaper, take a bath, go to a zumba class, sign permission slips, recharge the cell phone, keep a food journal, find insurance form, return shirt, switch purses, RSVP for dinner, sharpen knives, pay bills on-line, water plants, iron skirt . . .

The heart needs to be in the home. The women's movement was necessary, but it went too far. It took women and heart out of homes in great numbers. It redefined roles in the home; redefined the family and constantly put men and women in competition with one another.

The consequences of those changes are enormous. It has gone so far that the very seams of a once strong, healthy society are breaking.

People should not give up on family. You can rename it, or do this and that to it, but the truth is that a stable, stress-free home life with a father and a mother taking the time to do the things that are necessary promotes happy, healthy children. That is the cornerstone of a successful marriage and family life and, therefore, society.

Sybilla Pettingill, Lisbon Falls