I've never been the type to help out around the house. My wife and I went at it when we first moved in together because of that very reason. I hate doing dishes and laundry and bathrooms, and my wife hated reminding me to do those things. We would argue. I would get frustrated. We got a feel for how to live with each other.
Since the girls were born and even before while Erin was pregnant, I started helping out more around the house. I do the dishes every night. Mostly because I have a system that Erin doesn't follow, but I can get into that at a later time. I try to help out with the laundry. I pick up things around the house. I have a yard now, and I do that work too.
I don't know what changed in me. Maybe I started doing it because I felt sorry for my very pregnant wife carrying my two baby girls. Maybe I wanted to set a better example for Grace and Ana, so they'll now that a clean house is a happy house. Maybe I just stopped being lazy and actually snapped out of my malaise, and I just started to like helping out.
All I know is that my wife completely and totally appreciates this new me. She loves that the house is cleaner. She loves that she doesn't have to ask me to do it anymore. And she really loves that she can get a break from working and mothering. She definitely deserves the break.
It certainly isn't the easy way out. I'd obviously love to just come home and relax with my girls after working all day. I'd prefer to veg out and watch TV or a movie. Maybe curl up with a book or hit the sack early. But that wouldn't make my wife happy, and I learned early on that "A happy wife equals a happy life." Plus racking up brownie points never hurts.
3 comments:
AMEN!
And, your daughters will see how a father/husband can treat his kids/wife....hopefully instilling high standards for their future relationships.
Another good point, Kim. But it's wasted on them now. Maybe I should wait a year or so until they can recognize it to really maximize them learning from me.
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