Equality in Housework

A couple of years ago I was watching a Facebook live video.

It was of a lady who has made herself quite famous for her mothering and homemaking rants.

This particular time she was sitting on her couch with a mountain of laundry around her, complaining about how exhausted and stressed she was as she folded.

Her husband happened to pass by and she called out to him to come help her.

He quietly, bless his heart, sat down next to her and began folding the laundry, too.

After a few seconds, someone piped up in her comments and said, "You're so lucky! Your husband's helping you with laundry!"

She proceeded to scold the commenter...

"Lucky?! Excuse me? Does he not also wear clothes and use towels around here?!"

 Her attitude was so sour, and her husband so passive, that I couldn't bear to watch anymore.

I clicked out of the video and I don't know how it ended.

But something made me think about it the other day.

I began to think thoughts like,

Why is it I only ever see women talk and act this way, but never men?

Why is it I only hear women scream about equality and rights, but never men?

Where did this attitude of 'he should help with dishes because he eats here, too!' come from?

Hmmm...

I pondered some more...

What if Micah demanded that I help him with his work? How would that make me feel?

???

I am so thankful that when Micah goes out to plow the driveway, he doesn't demand that I come with him because 'She uses the driveway, too'...

I am so thankful that when Micah rounds up all the trash every Saturday morning to take to the dump, he doesn't demand that I help because 'She uses the trash bins, too'...

Yes, I've come to the conclusion that everything equals out just fine!

I would love to encourage the lady from the video to focus on all the important household tasks her husband tends to, and not on the ones he doesn't.

(I hope you are able to see while reading this, that this isn't a post about who should do what- since every couple must divvy up the jobs in a way that suits them. It's rather the attitude behind it all!)

There is a scene that plays out in our home almost every night after dinner, and it goes something like this...

Micah hauls a stack of plates and a handful of silverware over to the sink, and begins to rinse the dishes.

I call over to him from the table, "I'll clean the kitchen, Micah. Don't worry about it!" 

Then he says something like, "I'll get a start on it for you." And he does.

Wouldn't I rather get help from someone who wants to help me, and who has the right attitude about it, than get begrudging help from someone who is only appeasing my demands?!

Plus, think of it from the husband's point of view...

I can imagine it would be much easier for a man to want to help his wife if she is sweet-spirited and appreciative toward him.

"My heart took delight in all my work." - Ecclesiastes 2:10

I believe having a safe and warm place to call home is a blessing and a privilege.

Housework can be a joy if we remember that!

xo,

~ Courtney ~