Wow – after reading through this entire thread I realize a few things:
– My marriage must be highly unusual… Maybe my husband struts too much or too little, but I don’t care.
– There are a lot of people who don’t recognize the give and take of a partnership. Domestic duties (child rearing, house cleaning, cooking, budgeting) are as important as working for a salary. But working for a salary has value as well. I guess I’m lucky because I never had to put more weight on one or the other – I worked for a salary (until June when I became a slacker on that front) for my entire marriage. I also did domestic labor. But so did my husband. Yes – some of it was divided by gender – he’s better at installing windows, hanging drywall, etc. I don’t mind cleaning the kitchen, running the vacuum. We both cook. We both deal with the kids. (Although he was challenged on the breastfeeding front. LOL).
I don’t think my marriage is that rare or unusual. My husband isn’t some whipped guy who just does what I tell him. I’m not some mouse that does everything he tells me to do. We both contribute and it works. Looking around at friends – this isn’t that rare. (And my friends consist of people who have a stay at home parent, and couples that have both parties working for salary, and a few single parents of both genders.)
After reading this thread – I get the idea that my friends and I are truly exceptional – and I know that’s not the case.
So guys – strut your stuff and bloviate. Women, chatter on about how women deserve “me time” more than men. There are plenty of selfish self absorbed people in both genders. Get over yourselves if you’re one of them. If this doesn’t apply, then don’t take offense.
