I Don’t Help My Wife, I Share Obligations
As a companion, I understand that I’m not just a spectator, sitting and watching as my wife runs from one side to the other every day, carrying all the weight on her back . From day one, I understood the responsibility I would take on as a husband and as a father.
I understood from the first moment that I am the partner of the woman I love and I chose the wonderful way of starting a family. With all that this implies, enjoying the good and learning to deal with the bad.
I knew from that day that sharing obligations was the key. As the father that I am, as part of the house and, why not, as responsible for the disorder of domestic activity as well, I wash the dishes, iron the clothes, change diapers and cook, and I am not ashamed for any of that.
That, in my opinion, is being more of a man than many who scoff. Despite the times we live in, unfortunately the reality of many homes remains different. The woman is the one who holds the reins and the “males” are simply spectators who are dedicated to other things. But if we think about our children, the best example we can give them is that of a family that collaborates and does the housework equally.
I don’t help my wife, I share obligations
It is true that this debate never goes out of style. Which is more important, working outside or indoors? But the question I ask myself when I’m with my friends is this: Do we value our women’s work, outside and inside?
“The other day I washed the dishes and my wife didn’t thank me,” a phrase we’ve all heard before. But then again, why should my wife thank me for something that makes our home life better? Why thank me for something she does countless times and yet no one recognizes?
For that reason, I consider that I do not help my wife. She doesn’t need anyone’s help. She is self-sufficient and extremely capable of doing whatever she sets out to do, at home and at work. But what she needs, like me, is a mate. A complement, even if it’s worth it if necessary.
It’s not that I help my wife clean the house. I just limit myself to organizing the space in which we live together. I disinfect and organize for the simple reason that I also live here, under the same roof.
I don’t help cook. I simply collaborate and share this obligation because I also consume.
And I don’t just eat, but with this action, I dirty dishes and cutlery. So, for this simple reason, I feel it is up to me – as a family man – to work on this task. Much less help my wife with her children, I take care of them because – in fact – they are also mine. Are ours.
I don’t “collaborate” at home. I assume my position at home
Washing, extending, folding the whole family’s dirty laundry, collecting toys, teaching the kids math, or tidying up the garden. Everything that needs to be done . I am aware that I am not just a help around the house, but a part of it. So I act accordingly.
I never thought this was an exclusive work for the woman in my life. And it doesn’t matter what I saw growing up, what my parents taught me or what I learned in school . I feel lucky for the family I have and I know I want to be a positive role model for my children.
I want to behave like a companion to my wife and not like a guest anymore. And I want to do this because I value my wife and everything she does for our family. Because I respect it as such, with its virtues and its faults. Because, definitely, it’s exactly the same as what she does to me.
