September 08, 2009

Mr. Mom

It's always fun for me when Hubby has a chance to really experience what I go through on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong... he really does do his part around here. But when he has to do pretty much everything on his own, the results are often interesting.
Saturdays are always "Daddy's Days." I work my part-time retail job and often am out the door before anyone else is awake. On those days Hubby has to do one load of the girls' laundry and vacuum the house. There are some small chores here and there, but those are the priorities of the day. When I came home from work this past Saturday Cakes informed me that "Daddy combed our hair today." This was quite a triumph because I have been preaching to him for months that even though it's a weekend their hair needs combed or I will be faced with four tangled messes by Sunday morning.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to earn time and a half at work. With Hubby's company recently instituting a mandatory pay cut for employees I jumped at the chance for some extra money. So while I spent the day prepping fine jewelry for inventory, Hubby spent the day finding out what a typical Monday is like in our house. (Hey, it may have been a holiday, but laundry needed to be done).
Monday is the laundry day. Hubby found himself faced with six loads of laundry. It would have been seven, but I condensed the whites and the lights to one load. Unfortunately it didn't all get done. Hubby forgot to do the sheets and what I fondly refer to as the "cat sheet," a sheet on top of our comforter so the cats can sleep on our bed. Well, 4 out of 6 loads isn't bad. Then he "forgot" where the girls' clothes go in the closet and conveniently left the basket for me to put away. He also "forgot" that baths are necessary when the next day is a school day. Still, we managed to get it all done, so you'll hear few complaints from me.
I'm giving Hubby a hard time with this post. He actually suggested this be the topic of today's post, so I decided to run with it. I am grateful that he makes every attempt to lighten my load, even if the end results aren't "perfect." I'll take his attempts over perfection any day.
I'll leave you with the most important lesson learned during Hubby's weekend stint with the girls: toddlers and cat toys made out of feathers do not mix. I am still finding feathers throughout our TV room.

7 comments:

Stephanie Barr said...

Hey, my husband is a full-time Mr. Mom and I couldn't be more grateful that he can and is willing to do so even if he doesn't always do things the way *I* would do. Partial credit is a boon.

Just wish the partial credit went both ways. On the weekends, when he sleeps in and leaves me to take care of kids in the morning, he often wakes to explain how I did everything wrong even though I do things just as he lectured me last time. Apparently, routines change frequently and there are no memos.

Sadia said...

Lucas is SO much more productive than me when he has the girls and house to himself!

We've embraced the fact that we do things in different ways. "Daddy's way" is something the girls talk about with fondness when he's away, and sometimes we'll do things "Daddy's way" just to feel closer to him. It was a real challenge for me to recognize that my way wasn't the only right way, but compromising, doing things differently, and discussing when to choose which path has made me a better parent.

Plus, Lucas is better at laundry than I am. :)

Quadmama said...

Good point, Stephanie. If we're going to change the routine, it's best to let the other parent know!
Sadia: Nope, my way is the only right way, but I'm willing to let Hubby do things his way now and then. LOL

MaryAnne said...

My hubby is really helpful too, but it's always nice to leave him with the kids for a few hours so he gets a better idea of what my daily life is like. He's getting better at cleaning the house/keeping the house clean, but I haven't yet managed to initiate him into the art of doing laundry...

Quadmama said...

I try to avoid having Hubby do laundry as much as possible, but that's not always realistic.

Kim said...

I had to laugh about the combing of the hair! My husband avoids that nightmare at all costs—he can't handle our twin girls' howls of protest.

Quadmama said...

My girls don't complain too much but Hubby still seems terrified of combs (and barrettes and headbands)

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