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.
Grace Patton, 34, always makes sure she is up an hour earlier than her husband so she can feed their 14-month-old, Lily, and get herself ready for the day.
The mum-of-five puts on her make-up, blow dries her hair and puts on a “girly” outfit before waving off her husband, Bradley, 35, to his job in industrial repair.
The happy couple split their finances equally and always communicate with each other before making a more expensive purchase.
Following the recent controversy around Ballerina Farm influencer Hannah Neeleman, Grace wants to change perspectives on housewives.
Grace, from Oklahoma, US, said: “Since I’m home I need that transition to working and off work.
“That has to do with pyjamas.
“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, eight, Autumn, three, Max, two, and Lily, one, and is step mum to Bradley’s eldest, 16.
Grace grew up in a traditional home and always saw her dad and stepmum happy.
Grace says she and Bradley – who have been married for 10 years – naturally slipped into their roles within the family.
She said: “I always liked the idea of a traditional lifestyle, but now I know I love it.
“I love being a traditional wife, and I love making him happy.”
Grace is in charge of the cooking – apart from when Bradley wants to BBQ – as well as homeschooling the kids and keeping on top of the house.
The couple both look after their garden together.
Grace said: “During the day I can get everything done. 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 keeps on top of the household by batch cooking, and organising her kids’ 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.
Grace said: “I don’t need to ask for money for groceries or anything.
“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.
A trad wife (short for traditional wife) is a woman who chooses to take on an ultra traditional role in marriage, meaning she makes dinner and looks pretty whilst her husband goes to work.
The trend takes inspiration from the idea of a 1950s housewife.
Many ‘trad wives’ choose to dress in the style of clothing popular in this period (think floral dresses and frumpy cardigans).
Additionally, the values considered important to trad wives are similar to strict Christian values.
Trad wives believed they were not forced into this way of life, and that it was their purpose to be homemakers.
The trend, which has garnered attention on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, glamorises a time gone by with little acknowledgement of the economic challenges facing families and mothers today.
They bring the children with them – 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 a lot of misconceptions of traditional housewives.
She said: “Our society has normalised you going to work.
“It’s OK if you 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.”
