Should stay-at-home moms expect dad to share in the housework?
[From Should stay-at-home moms expect dad to share in the housework? | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press]
They don’t provide any answers, but I like the question. Some of the moms who commented are very militant about it being dad 50/50 once he gets home since he makes 50% of the mess and only works 8 hours while mom works 24/7. That sounds like such an old paradigm. Most dads who work 8 hours (does that exist) then come home and do stuff with the kids, for the kids, and for the family. They might not do 50% of the housework if their wife is staying at home, with all the sacrifice that implies, but most men today are “pulling their weight,” even if that doesn’t mean cleaning 50% of the toilets. When a decision is made that one person is going to stay at home, it’s good to discuss all these issues since there can be a lot of expectations on both sides. Some men will expect their wife to become a ’50s style housewife who does everything and cheerfully serves a martini at 5PM. Others will want to chip in with a big percentage because they know how frustrating staying at home can be, in addition to the rewards of being with the kids. Some men will wish they had the extra income back to hire outside help and take the burden off both parents for doing the drudgery of housework and cleaning. If one person wants to stay at home and part of that is financial cutbacks for cleaning help, who should bear the extra housework burden
The more families discuss it beforehand, the easier it will be once they are in the thick of it.
Your opinion?
Working as a team and having the whole family participate in cleaning and organizing is essential. To implement this in your family, hold a family meeting, let your family know how much work there is and needs to be done and delegate like a champion! Make sure chores are relevant to age and availability but not to sex. Despite some popular opinion, men can do womans work.
I think dads should do anything they can to make the lives of their wives easier. I know my husband does.
When I took a leave after childbirth, he took an extended ;leave as well to make sure I got all the help I needed with the baby and with housekeeping. I didn’t ask him to but he was happy to make the initiative.