Division of Household Labor
I have a question for you. How is household labor divided in your home? As you know I am a stay at home mom now but not too long ago I worked outside the home. When I worked outside the home household duties were the cause of some stress, dumb arguments, and a little animosity. I have noticed that since I have been home these issues have decreased dramatically If not entirely. I no longer feel overwhelmed by the mutant list of chores I must tackle daily. Sure staying home with a toddler and infant is hard work but it's work inside my home so I am obviously able to take care of certain things during the day. Chores such as laundry, carpet cleaning, and mopping no longer have to wait until the weekend.
I ask the question because I know some stay at home moms have gotten annoyed with their significant others for expecting certain duties to be fulfilled throughout the course of the day. NO JUDGING. Seriously. Some people have huge houses, or high needs children, fifty kids, an at home business to run, etc. etc. So I know that the answers will vary wildly but I am super curious.
If you stay at home and your significant other works outside them home do you have certain expectations of each other as it relates to household duties?
Here is how it works at my house. My husband works outside of the home. I stay home with the kids. I do all the laundry, heavy-duty cleaning, and baby bathing. When my husband gets home dinner is either in process or prepped so that my husband can cook. Lately we have been making easy dinners such as homemade pizza and burritos that we can make quickly so that we have more time to hang out at night. The house is usually pretty close to spotless when he gets home and I bake at least once a week. My husband does the food shopping either alone or with P. That's about it.
Obviously things can change with the blink of an eye. If I had a rough day with the kids there might be toys strewn about or dinner might be Vietnamese take out but it isn't a huge deal. My husband would never make a negative comment or roll his eyes. Either because he is a nice guy that understands or because I am scary. Probably the former. My husband picks up any mess once he gets home even though I ask him not to worry about it and he cleans up after dinner.
When I worked outside the home it was not like this. Not at all. I was working 40-60 hours a week and doing 90% of the household chores. I feel like there is a much better balance now, a lot less stress, and a much happier me. I am loving it and have stopped wondering how I will look when Dateline NBC interviews me from prison for bludgeoning my husband with a maple French rolling-pin.
I'd love it if you shared your thoughts with me. What roles and expectations come along with the title of stay at home parent? What is expected of you? Does it annoy you?