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No house work?

I’m sure you’ve read the story. Mike made some final points which Rebel Dad summarized. It’s unfortunate that Mike’s message of “spending more time with your kids is Good” got mixed up with “never cook or clean.” But how could it not in a world where many families struggle just to get by? It was inevitable that it would gall people who simply can’t afford to go to restaurants for every meal or hire a cleaning service. And it’s not because they have a $45,000 car. There are parents out there struggling just to buy groceries. Elizabeth said it perfectly: “…clean clothes don’t come out of thin air.”

Parents can and should divide house work evenly and fairly despite what society-at-large thinks a full-time parent’s role is. Raising kids is the hardest job I know of. There is something wrong if your spouse thinks that you need to do 100% of the house work just because you’re at home with the kids (regardless of gender) or because you are a woman. Both parents work, both parents raise the children, both parents can do house work.

Comments

  1. Jacqueline on 2005-08-23 08:50:25 wrote: I agree, housework is a family job! But don’t just stop with the parents, it’s good for the kids to help too. Granted yours are a little young to be cleaning the oven or anything, but I bet they could fold socks - they’d already be ahead of some of the friends I met in college who had to be shown how to do laundry!

  2. CJ on 2005-09-12 12:11:30 wrote: I wish more men could see it that way. You can only ask (and then nag) so long before you throw your hands up and do it all (or mostly) yourself. I used to think women let themselves get walked all over. Now I see that if you want to have some sanity, you can’t let it bother you so much that he leaves the toilet paper roll on top of the sink EVERY SINGLE TIME or you’ll lose your mind. Here I am a self labled feminist doing all the grocery shopping, banking, and 99% of the rest of the work (baths, dishes, floors etc.). I don’t like the woman I become when I have to ask and then SCREAM for some freakin help. Know what I mean?