One of the funniest, laugh-out-loud books that I have ever read is Cheaper by the Dozen, the story of the Gilbreth family. In addition to the wonderful antics of the twelve children, stories about vacations, the family car, and such, we’re also given an introduction to the science of “motion study,” which Mom and Dad Gilbreth pioneered. (They analyzed construction and factory workers, surgeons, chefs, etc, and figured out ways for them to do their job more efficiently by using fewer motions.) Yes, not only was Mrs. Gilbreth the mother of twelve children, but she held a doctorate in psychology and helped her husband with his work, and after his death, she ran the family business and became the foremost woman in the areas of scientific management, motion studies, efficiency, industrial psychology, and organizational psychology. She also invented shelves in the refrigerator doors and the foot-pedal trash can!!! This woman is amazing!
Lillian’s father did not think that higher education was necessary for his daughter, the eldest of his family of nine. However, she convinced him to let her pursue her degree in literature as long as she was able to continue helping out at home. Her mother was frequently ill, so this was no small task. Many duties around the house as well as taking care of the younger children fell to her. Granted, the family was well off and had a cook and two maids, but the responsibility of the smooth running of the home was hers nonetheless. There were not many career options for women at the turn of the century, so Lillian assumed that after graduation she would become a teacher. After receiving her Bachelors, she went on to get her Masters in Literature, and she also studied psychology in order to better prepare herself for teaching.
After receiving her Masters, she decided to take a trip to Europe, and the route included a stopover in Boston. While she was there, she met the owner of a construction company, a cousin of one of her traveling companions. This was Frank Gilbreth. He had never been to college because his father passed away when he was younger, and it would have been too much of a strain on the family finances. However, he had a thorough understanding of, and interest in efficiency in the workplace, a subject which interested Lillian, as well. After she returned from Europe she went back home to California. Frank followed her there, proposed to her three weeks later, and they were married in October of 1904.
They moved to Rhode Island and started their family and their consulting business, focusing on scientific management principles. At the same time, Lillian received her Ph.D. in psychology. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth continued raising their growing family, co-authoring books on the Motion Study, traveling around the country and Europe giving lectures, and managing their consulting business from their home. They always had time for their children, though, and despite the amount of time they devoted to their work, family was always the first priority. Then, in 1924, when he was only 56 years old, Mr. Gilbreth died of a sudden heart attack.
Now Lillian was not only a working mother of eleven (one of their daughters died of diphtheria in 1912), but a single working mother of eleven, and she was determined to keep her children by her side and see them all through college. And she did it, too. She continued in the work that she and her husband had pioneered, lecturing and training others in their methods. But some could not accept the fact that she was competent enough to do the same work as she did when her husband was alive. After Mr. Gilbreth’s death, some of their clients did not renew their contracts. They did not realize that Mrs. Gilbreth was more than her husband’s assistant. She had been his partner and she knew as much as he did about motion study. She ended up opening a Time Management school in their home, which gave the family enough income to stay together. In time, she gained the recognition that she deserved for her contributions to Motion Study and the role of psychology in the workplace. Lillian died at the age of 93, one of the most decorated women in America.
(Mrs. Gilbreth in her home office.)
These are the facts. But while the facts can inspire us, they don’t reveal the much about what she was like as a wife and mother. For that, we can read what her own children said about her. When reading Cheaper by the Dozen, we discover that she was calm, decisive, and resourceful, able to “handle any crisis without losing her composure.” Despite the relative chaos which constantly surrounded her, she “never threatened, never shouted or became excited, never spanked a single one of her children--or anyone else's, either.” (I don’t intend to get into the philosophy of discipline here, but it’s just an interesting note that Fr. Flanagan of Boys Town had the same approach of avoiding corporal punishment.)
My favorite illustration of her character is from the episode when the family moves to their new house, sight-unseen, except by Mr. Gilbreth. She cheerfully supports her husband’s decision, keeping a positive attitude for her children’s sake. She trusted her husband to know what he was doing.
As we entered Montclair, he drove through the poor section of town, and finally pulled up at an abandoned structure that even Dracula wouldn't have felt at home in.
“Well, here it is,” he said. “Home. All out.”
“You’re joking, aren't you dear?” Mother said hopefully.
“What's the matter with it? Don't you like it?”
“If it's what you want dear,” said Mother, “I'm satisfied, I guess.”
“It's a slum, that's what's the matter with it,” said Ernestine.
“No one asked your opinion, young lady,” replied Dad. “I was talking to your Mother, and I will thank you to keep out of the conversation.”
“You're welcome,” said Ernestine, who knew she was treading on thin ice but was too upset to care. “You’re welcome, I'm sure. Only I wouldn't live in it with a ten-foot pole.”
“Neither would I,” said Martha “Not with two ten-foot poles.”
“Hush,” said Mother. “Daddy knows best.”
Lill started to sob.
“It won't look so bad with a coat of paint and a few boards put in where these holes are,” Mother said cheerfully.
Dad, grinning now, was fumbling in his pocket for his notebook. “By jingo, kids, wait a second,” he crowed. “Wrong address. Well, what do you know? Pile back in. I thought this place looked a little more run down than when I last saw it.” And then he drove us to 68 Eagle Rock Way.
Mrs. Gilbreth was an incredible woman who somehow managed to accomplish twice, if not three times as much in her lifetime as most other women. (That’s probably the result of being an efficiency expert.) She’s an inspiring example of dedication to family and to education, patience and endurance through life’s trials, and simply doing her job to the best of her abilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment