A friend gave me a copy of Joyfully At Home by Jasmine Baucham two years ago as a birthday present. I was excited to receive the book, but it has taken me two years to read it. I hesitated writing a review because I have mixed opinions on this book.
Overall, I liked the book. Jasmine writes with passion and conviction, painting a beautiful picture of an out-of-the-ordinary lifestyle. She has personal experience with being a stay-at-home daughter so she knows the struggles and the difficulties that come as part of the territory. She addresses these bluntly, and she uses Scripture as the backbone of her discussions.
The concept of stay-at-home-daughterhood is a controversial one. Jasmine acknowledges this and addresses some of the most common questions and misconceptions she has received and dealt with. Many people associate stay-at-home daughters with young women who cannot think for themselves and who lack conviction for their beliefs. The stigma is that these women cannot attend college and that they must live at home until their fathers pick husbands for them.
Jasmine does everything possible (and succeeds in my opinion) of debunking these myths and stigmas. Certainly some stay-at-home daughters may be like that, but what Jasmine is advocating is a vibrant life at home, embracing education and a wide diversity of pursuits.
Yet, I still hesitate to recommend the book 100%. I support the vision Jasmine shares of Christian young women embracing their faith and living energizing lives in service to their families and churches. Yet, I do not believe that the best place for Christian women is to remain at home until marriage. I’ve heard the arguments in favor of young ladies staying at home until a husband comes along, but as I have read Scripture, I do not see this portrayed as the best option. Because Scripture does not offer direct instruction on this issue, I believe it is a matter of Christian liberty. Some families may encourage their daughters to remain home (and it is best in this case for the daughters to do so out of honor for their parents). Other daughters may have their parents blessings to pursue work or ministry outside the home. In both cases, I think wise Christian parents will offer their daughters guidance and cautions to help motivate them to stay true to Christ.
Overall, this book was a good read and (for the most part) well written. Jasmine’s call to complete, whole-hearted service to God is a compelling reason to read this book even if you do not think you will agree with her ultimate conclusion about stay-at-home-daughterhood.
I have never heard of this “stay at home daughter” concept, although I know there are families that practice this, like the Duggar family (for both sons and daughters). I respect this choice, although I think I would leave the decision up to my own child. I would never want to pressure my adult daughter to stay in my home if she didn’t want to! I think there’s a point where you need to let your children go, because you’ve spent the last eighteen years, hopefully teaching them about Christ and to walk in his example, and then it’s time for them to go and do just that, on their own!
I read Joyfully At Home when it first came out and loved it! I do agree with you that not every girl is called to stay at home, but I think the message that you can stay home, and that being part of the family unit glorifies God is an important one.
Personally, I also found her down to earth attitude and writing style to be very refreshing.
I really appreciate your review here–especially your comments on stay-at-home-daughters being a matter of Christian liberty. I very much appreciate the call for single Christian women to use their singleness to pursue service and God’s glory rather than career and personal glory–but I do have serious reservations regarding the suggestion that the best way to accomplish that is by staying in one’s parent’s household.