I'm back from vacation.
I saw Steve Harvey on a TV show the other day. He was talking about how couples get along in this terrible econamy.
One couple had to reverse rolls because the husband had lost his job. He was complaining because he felt his manhood was deminished.
She was complaining because, not only was she the bread winner but her husband wouldn't do anything in the house.
Steve Harvey said, "That's because he didn't sign up to get the house done."
Then he said, "He signed up to support his family."
Isn't it funny that we are in such a polerized mind set that we don't know what to do when roles are reversed.
You can't blame the husband. He has just lost his identity. However, what's a wife to do when she has to support the family and then come home and clean the house?
In my book I explain how important it is for husbands to have lifetime responsibilities in a household. Responsibilites that are his very own so he knows precicely what to do. No nagging. No wondering why his wife is angry. No guessing what his wife wants him to help with.
If this husband was in the habit of having at the very least a few lifetime responsibilities the transformation from breadwinner to householder might not have been so tramatic.
Interesting. My son-in-law has been home with the kids for three years and it was really difficult for him and my daughter. Now that the kids are in school he is looking for employment. I should have given my daughter your book. It would have been beneficial for both of them. Most guys just don't keep house like women. They will rearrange the furniture but forget to vacuum. Would love to read the chapter you are referring to.
ReplyDelete