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5 Household Chores My Husband Is Not Allowed to Do
Remember that Shel Silverstein poem about the dishes? The one where the boy gets out of having to dry the dishes by dropping one on the floor? Well, I thought it was genius when I was a kid, but I would never have tried it. I am way too much of a perfectionist to mess up a job like that. Anything I was going to do, I was going to do well.
My husband, on the hand, isn't quite like that. Generally we have an equal division of labor in our house. He works, I work. He puts the kids to bed and handles baths, and I do it on my nights. But there are some things I just won't let him do.
Not because he CAN'T do them. Mind you, my husband is a brilliant scientist with a graduate level education and a high level job. But he can't seem to figure out how to scrape pots. Or separate laundry. Or cook. So he doesn't. Here are five chores my husband is no longer allowed to do in our house. See below:
- Make the bed: I am sorry, but how hard is it really to make a bed? If you ask my hubby -- he of wet towels on the bed, blanket-hogging, top sheet-eschewing ways -- it's pretty dang hard. Every time he makes the bed, it looks terrible. It's messy and wrinkled. The pillows are in the wrong places and the top sheet is still crumpled at the foot of the bed. I'll just do it, thanks.
- Do the dishes: Seriously, this one is just confounding. My husband can't figure out how to wash a bowl. Or hand wash our expensive German knives (NOT the dishwasher). Forget the wooden spoons and wooden salad bowls and for some reason he STILL leaves anything hard "soaking" in the sink until I can get to it. Again, I'll just do it myself and let him mow the lawn instead of screaming at him for being inept.
- Cook: Just no. The one time I gave dinner over to him this year, he bought bison steaks rather than ground bison for the chili. It tasted fine, but was kind of a visual fail. So I'll handle dinner while he handles bedtime.
- Laundry: As long as there are places to put clothing, I don't mind doing the laundry. And doing it myself is 1,000 times better than dealing with his inability to separate or to remember that laundry is in the wash, building up mildew. He can take out the trash and mop the floor while I fold and put away the kids' clothing.
- Set the table: Again with the half-ass! Agh! Just let me handle it. There are PLENTY of chores to go around.
Are there any chores your husband isn't allowed to do?
Image via maureen lunn/Flickr
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kjbugsmom1517
ms_danielle_j
Mp
mommytojack0524
I think some women would have to do fewer chores if they didn't expect their husbands to do everything their way, i.e. "the pillows are in the wrong place". Who cares? Can't you just be glad he made the bed?
I don't "let" or "forbid" my husband to do anything. He's an adult, and we both pitch in wherever it is needed. I am usually the cook, but if I'm sick or gone, he takes care of himself (and me if needed).
The author sounds a little condescending to her husband. I expect my husband to be responsible for the household and take care of things. He expects the same from me.
PonyChaser
Gotta jump on the bandwagon here. How is it ok for wives to boss their husbands like this? Where do you think the term "hen pecked" came from? Honestly. The man offers to make the bed, wash the dishes, do the laundry and cook. But he doesn't "do them right", so he's not allowed. However, if he DIDN'T offer to do those things, he'd be a lazy cad, and you'd be bitching about THAT. Poor guy can't win. No wonder wives get such a bad rap.
Samantha
caralicious
You sound like a woman I used to work for. If you do something wrong the first time you are never allowed to do it again. I guess for some people doing everything is a real self esteem booster?
Shrew2u
"The one time I gave dinner over to him this year, he bought bison steaks rather than ground bison for the chili." That's a profoundly stupid (and probably fake) reason to ban your husband from cooking duty. Writer's block? Time crunch? Whatever it is you suffered during that paragraph, try another tack next time.
Anyway, there are no bans in our home, but there are preferences. I prefer to load the dishwasher (it's fussy), he washes by hand (pots/pans/knives) when he pitches in, and I appreciate that. If he cooks, I offer to be his sous chef, which makes for a much tider (and shorter) cooking process. He takes the lead on all things outdoor, from bar-b-que to gardening. We both do laundry, and neither one of us is fussy about how the bed is made.
tulip
Nikki