She: What is all this stuff on the table? There's no room for anything.
He: I just got here two minutes ago. I was walking the dogs, and now I'm putting away the groceries. (Leaves the grocery bags, starts removing things from the table.)
She: I want to set up the laptop. Can you hook up the cords? No, not that plug, this other one.
He: (putting down pile of stuff, plugging in the plug) Okay.
She: Would you make me a little plate of snacks?
He: (looks daggers at her shoulder blades)
You want me to make a plate of snacks? Before I start dinner?
She: Yes, I'd like a little plate of snacks, oysters, crackers, cheese, with my glass of wine after a hard day at the office.
He: And you want me to make them...why?
She: Because you're the wife, and I've just gotten home from a hard day at the office.
He: But I've been taking Women's Studies, and we need to address how unfair things are around here. You have no idea what I do around here all day.
She: Well, I wish I could hang around the house all day, drinking coffee and watching Oprah. But Someone's got to pay the bills.
He: You're Out in the World, having intelligent conversations with other adults. I'm here with fur creatures that only bark and poo. I have no mental stimulation at all. You don't value what I do because it doesnt earn money. I feel demeaned. But here are your snacks, and welcome home after a hard day at the office.
She: Thanks. Is supper started yet?
[This is a (slightly) exaggerated report of a conversation I overheard. We were all laughing our heads off. But I harked back to my married days, when I was the one at home, with no life or status whatsoever, other than To Serve. Those days weren't funny.]
Oh, a wry and perceptive observation indeed, Sherry. More than a few people will identify with this, I'm sure...LOL!
ReplyDeleteBut, that's exactly how it used to be too. No-one think a mother's job of running a house and keeping it clean and raising kids is hard. It's the hardest job in the world it's 24/7 and no holidays!
ReplyDeleteA really good write.
That WAS quite a conversation, Sherry!
ReplyDeleteOh, Sherry, this is a hoot! Especially that he's taking Women's Studies!
ReplyDeleteI am also the stay at home now, but fortunately, even though I am the pastor's wife, I am also considered the poet and musician I am by the congregation. They don't see me as just "Mrs. Rev." A great help for my self-esteem!
Thanks for the chuckle, hon. Amy
Thanks for my morning laugh! I am so lucky that my husband values what I do at home. But it does get a bit old sometimes cleaning up dog poo and grocery shopping-thank goodness for blogging!
ReplyDeleteResonates so much here. It is so unfortunate that women should and still are relegated to those demeaning levels. For instance, a woman wakes up at 5, goes to milk the cows to fill five jugs, feeds five children, walks five kilometres to fetch firewood, comes back by 5 in the evening to cook supper...Yet the man would appear in the evening and ask why the supper isn't ready or why the kerosene is too bright or why the meal is not warm to a certain temperature....Crazy.
ReplyDeleteAhh the memories you sparked. Especially the bit about Women Studies. I wonder at how many of us had to go to school to understand our real position in life. And you are absolutely correct, it wasn't funny at all, although some of us tried hard to make it so.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Ha, Salem, same the world over. But some men, like you, have an expanded consciousness. I remember my ex husband lounging on the couch while I - with three little babies under four years of age - painted the kitchen. He'd say grandly, "You could paint more efficiently and waste less paint if you didnt dip your brush so far into the can." My sense of humor failed me at such moments, but thankfully returned when he finally left:)
ReplyDelete