My husband is a general manager at a restaurant. He works close to 50 hour work weeks. I on the other hand, work 20- 30 hours a week, and mostly at night. It’s nice, because I get to spend most of my day with the little tater-tot.
Even after a long work day, my husband still comes home and loads the dishwasher, mows the grass, cleans and vacuums, etc.
Growing up, I was raised with the concept that women stay home and do housework, and men work and make the money. I’m not so much against this style of living so much as I am pro “Do what works for your family.”
My husband and I have talked about how one day I might not need to work and I can focus on raising our daughter, but for now it’s not a reality. We need both of our incomes to pay bills, and although my husband once entertained the idea of getting a second job when we found out I was pregnant, he didn’t go through with it. 80 hours a week would have meant he would have no relationship with his child.
And so I work, albeit not a lot.
So why does my husband still pitch in after working all day?
Because we’re a team. And let’s be honest, keeping up with a toddler IS a full time job in and of itself. Toddlers are tornadoes. They sweep through and destroy everything in their path, and they think it’s hysterical. I spend my day entertaining her, trying to find food she’ll eat, stopping her from climbing all over the counters, helping her learn how to match up letters on her ABC game, changing diapers, and so on and so forth. Her nap time is my time to get a workout in, catch up on the messes she made, and get ready for my work night.
And so when my husband walks in the door, odds are he’ll go straight to cooking dinner and I’ll drop on the couch exhausted.