It Takes a Village — Not a Platform

When women are sold submission as empowerment, everyone loses.

The “Trad Wife” movement has been trending—young women pledging to stay home, raise children, and serve their husbands in the name of empowerment.

On the surface, it looks wholesome: homemade bread, perfect families, soft light.

But behind the filter, I see a dangerous repetition of history.

Because I’ve watched this story play out before.

 

Generational Memory

My grandmother stayed. She was provided for, but love was not what lived in her home. What I remember is sadness, bitterness, and regret.

After my grandfather died, she laughed again—her voice lighter, her spirit freer.

My mother got pregnant at fifteen. Her baby’s father enlisted in the service to escape responsibility. Later, she married my dad, wanting to be a “good wife.” When he didn’t like how she behaved when she drank, he left.

She told me stories of pushing me in a stroller, pregnant with my sister, dragging my brother along, walking the streets looking for him.

Even now, I can feel the anger of that image.
I would never go searching for a husband who chose to walk away.

If he wants to go—go.
But take care of your children.

My father didn’t. Years later, I tracked him down hoping for wisdom, some lesson that could help me grow. But there was nothing there—just avoidance and excuses.

So I overcorrected. I lost respect for men altogether and attracted the very ones who confirmed my belief: the ones who dominated, deceived, and destroyed.

That’s the lineage I came from. That’s the wound I carry.

 

The New Trap

Today, the packaging is prettier, but the message is the same.

Social-media influencers are selling submission as salvation—women who preach “stay home and serve” while monetizing every click.

They build wealth off the illusion of domestic devotion while their followers lose financial and emotional independence.

Let’s call it what it is: a business model built on dependency.

If homemaking is your soul’s calling, I’ll celebrate you.
But if it’s a role you’ve been sold, it’s not empowerment—it’s marketing.

 

Faith, Foundation, and False Prophets

Here’s what keeps whispering in my spirit: trust your faith, not the influencer.

If you want to live traditionally, fine. But check your motives.
Are you doing it because you feel called—or because someone told you it’s the “holy” way?

If your love for Johnny—the kind, hardworking man who earns just enough—is real, honor that love. Don’t dismiss him because he can’t fund your aesthetic.

But if you go searching for a husband with “earning potential” just so you can fit the image, you may find wealth but lose warmth.

When you build your life around a movement instead of meaning, you may wake up and realize you never built you.

I know this because when I finally returned to my light—when I gained the freedom to explore, to heal, and to remember how to love anchored in truth—I discovered a completely different kind of partnership.

I didn’t fall in love out of need or even want.
I fell in love because I recognized a soul who was meant to walk beside me—to learn with me, to love with me, and to grow with me.

That kind of love can only root itself in truth.
It’s not dependent. It’s divine.

Let’s be honest—many of the loudest “faith leaders” are deceivers. They lie, cheat, and live in mansions draped in gold while preaching humility.

That’s not the Jesus I know.

The Jesus I know fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless, cared for the sick, and welcomed the immigrant.
He didn’t need a jet or designer shoes.

It’s easy to hand over your power to someone who insists they know best. It feels safe.

But when it all falls apart, you’re the one left holding the consequences.

You are 100% responsible for your life—even when you follow the crowd.

 

The Economics of Obedience

Let’s be real: life is expensive. Most families can’t survive on a single income.

Yet, the same groups promoting “traditional” roles often shame those who rely on assistance to make ends meet.

That’s not morality. That’s manipulation.

If we want stronger families, we need empathy and equity, not ideology.

 

Re-Imagining the Village

If you truly want to nurture and raise children in love, open your doors wider.

Invite in the kids whose parents work double shifts.
Be a refuge for the single mom next door.

Because a true village doesn’t just raise its own—it raises each other.

It’s not about whether you’re a Trad Wife, a career woman, or something in between.
It’s about living from truth, not trend.

When your heart is rooted in love, your home becomes a sanctuary for all.
But when your choices are rooted in fear or conformity, even the prettiest home becomes a prison.

 

The Light of Responsibility

You and your partner are responsible for the life you build—
not a preacher, not a movement, not an algorithm.

So ask yourselves:

• Are we anchored in our own beliefs and values?
• Are we following our dreams—or someone else’s blueprint?
• Are we choosing love—or safety that only looks like love?

Because not all teachers are true.
And when words and actions don’t match, watch what they do—not what they say.

Light reveals truth. Always.

And when women—and men—start living from that light, loving with discernment, and rebuilding the real village, that’s when healing begins.

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Author’s Note

I’m Teresa Rodden—author, coach, and founder of Return to Light, a movement for women in their prime who are ready to remember who they are and live from the light within. My work is rooted in helping women break patterns of numbing, self-doubt, and performance so they can reconnect with their truth, their purpose, and their joy.

I believe when a woman returns to her light, she doesn’t just change her life—she brightens her home, her community, and the world around her.

You are so loved. 💛

 

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#ReturnToLight #FaithAndFeminism #WomenInMidlife #VillageNotPlatform #TradWifeMovement #AuthenticChoice #LightOverLabels #SpiritualDiscernment #WomenSupportingWomen #LoveYourselfBackToLight