53rd Thread: Don’t be like my mother

While he was able to pledge a substantial dowry, Father said I would make an even better marriage if I were educated in fine manners, and in dance and music. He was right. He was always right. I even learned to read and write, but I did not speak of it, as the only suitable occupation for a woman is to work the cloth in her home. My mother has the credulous beliefs of fisherwomen, and their behavior too. I prefer that she does not come to visit often. You act like her, with loud laughter and noisy sneezes, and other indiscreet sounds of the body when she takes you on her lap. It is perfectly unsuitable for our position in society. Do not join in her songs, do not listen to her improbable tales, but learn to sit quietly with your eyes averted. Keep your hands in your lap, smile when appropriate but do not laugh, and adopt the fine speech of your father’s relatives, as is fit for your rank.