Unless you want to find yourself in the dog house with your new
cuddle buddy, Killer Fluffington, you’d better pull your own weight in your marriage (btw, dog houses and couches aren’t just for husbands anymore…).
Few things are more frustrating than feeling like you’re married to a teenager who expects their every need to be taken care while YOU do ALL..THE…WORK. It
isn't fair and shouldn't be enabled.
So consider these simple time-tested tips before you or someone you know is sharing grub with Killer.
Have a To-Do List
Have your family make a to-do list every week to keep the home running smoothly. Easy, right?
It could be anything from, laundry, ironing, buying groceries, car maintenance, parenting responsibilities, buying birthday cads, etc.
Put it on the refrigerator as a reminder and keep it updated. Or share a to-do app across your smart devices.
But BEFORE the To-Do List Is Created Do This FIRST
Your mission, should you accept it, is to facilitate a productive conversation about what needs to be
done. So tame your inner Colonel Klink because this isn’t Stalag 13 and these aren't your prisoners of war, they're your family, whether you like it or not...
Discuss what needs to be done and assign tasks, as a team, based on who wants to do what.
Allow each family member to choose tasks they enjoy doing and do best. The husband might want to get creative in the kitchen and prepare some meals for the family.
The wife, on the other hand, might enjoy mowing the lawn more than the husband does.
Allowing your spouse to pick the household chores they enjoy builds a healthy marriage while increasing the chances that stuff will actually get done.
Get Help from the Kids
Ask the kids to help out around the house. Sure they might need training and supervision at first but so what?
The trick is to be patient because it will
take a little longer to complete the tasks. Don’t take over and do it yourself because it’ll be faster. It will at first but you'll save heaps of time later on. After all, do you really want to be the one scraping toothpaste splatter off the mirror when Sally is seventeen?
Besides, your children need this experience for their future benefit.
Set Standards
As a couple, set standards for your home with regards to lifestyle, cleanliness, orderliness etc. Set a good example for the kids but be flexible
and leave room for some playfulness and fun.
Show Appreciation
Always express appreciation to your family for their efforts in completing household chores. Never take them for granted.
And when expressing your gratitude, please, please remember that they are family not staff - don’t make them feel like they work for you or that you are their boss ...unless you’d like to have a close encounter with Killer Fluffington.
Until next time, this is Mike Tucker and the Crew and we want YOU to be mad about marriage.
