Sons of Patriarchy A Former TradWife On What It's REALLY Like Being a TradWife
Jan 12, 2026
Tia Levings, a memoirist and author of 'A Well-Trained Wife', shares her harrowing journey out of Christian patriarchy. She discusses her upbringing in fundamentalism, detailing the intersection of homeschooling and IBLP's teachings that normalized control and emotional suppression. Tia recounts the painful grief of losing a child amid strict expectations and the dangerous shift towards corporal punishment. Her escape from an abusive environment led to a decade of recovery and a powerful memoir aimed at helping others break free from oppressive systems.
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Gateway Into Fundamentalism
- Tia Levings describes marrying into fundamentalist mentorship as an adult rather than being born into it.
- She calls it a “cult without walls” because influence spread without formal membership.
How Movements Intersected
- Homeschooling conventions and shared authors created overlapping networks that normalized patriarchy.
- That overlap let ideas from Gothard, MacArthur, and Wilson spread across denominations.
Critical Thought Was Misapplied
- Critical thinking was hijacked into apologetics while real evidence and survivor voices were ignored.
- That environment discouraged examining the actual fruit of teachings.
