A recent chart circling the net showed that basically no matter what a mother does, the child's outcome is still the same- they are in awe of their Daddy. The chart couldn't be truer. The amount of elbow grease I put into the housework and pictures I create out of food on their plate may as well go unnoticed because all my husband has to do is walk home through the door and the smiles are bigger than the Cheshire cats. I love it though and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Men and women are different. How we do things are different. Even if the man was to tidy up, wash up or put things away I think most women (I know I certainly do) end up going behind them and doing it our own way.
I am very grateful for everything my husband does for us and he probably helps out more than most but I can't help but find it amusing and too true that the house certainly needs that woman's touch. From how the bed is made, how clothes are folded, we both do things very differently. And it's not even worth mentioning the replacement of toilet roll, or I fear all the women reading this will involuntarily get very annoyed and throw their phones at the floor. I do not want to be responsible for broken phones, so I shall move on to my next point.
The nights in which I go out with my friends are usually the nights I ponder about the difference in how things are done. The Mummy vs Daddy evening.
A typical evening for us as a family usually starts with having dinner, followed by my husband and myself clearing up the dishes, hoovering or sweeping the floor, making a tray up of milk and bottles for the night then doing the pack up. We will then take the boys up about 7ish, bath them, then they will get stories and lay in bed. I then grab a shower while my husband plays his guitar to the boys. When I'm out one or sometimes two boys will be asleep then the rest of the evening is ours. It works like a dream. Also to note, the downstairs will be spotless, dishes put away, washing put away. Their bedroom will be tidy with two piles of clothes ready for the next day with any nappies I will need. I am a very organised human and this has been made more apparent when I became a mother. I cope well because of my insane organisational skills. It keeps things in order and I am able to get on with things much easier.
Now, lets look at a typical evening where I go and see friends. I'll make sure that as much as I have been able to I have gotten organised. I usually get their Pjs ready and put them downstairs as they don't get bathed when I go out. I do still have their clothes ready for the next day done however, and a tray ready for night time. I'll cook them something easy, (no judging here) but something like pizza usually does the trick. I'll make sure its ready and they are being fed then will disappear to get ready upstairs. I usually go out around 7 then so leave the rest of the evening and clearing up to my husband.
So, what do I find when I return? Washing up has been done- hurrah, I can put the dishes away in the morning. Let's walk through to the lounge. Oh my...
Children have collapsed into piles on the sofa, husband has Xbox controller in hand. Yes, they're asleep! But the mess is ridiculous and a chore I'll face in the morning, along with somehow the upstairs being in a mess too, the clothes I had ready are now scattered throughout their room.
There is a difference in what happens when I am home and not home. But here is where the flaw lies with me. I can be so focused on getting everything done, to provide the best home environment possible that sometimes I forget to stop and just have fun with it all. The toys can be tidied another day, the clothes can be picked up when I put them on the kids in the morning. What I do know is that men, although they have their flaws and own way of doing something, perhaps they are onto something? I know that my children have the time of their life with their Daddy. They pretend to join in racing car games on the Xbox with him, I'm sure at some point they probably spend a little bit of time beating him up. They usually crash out, or if they haven't they are beaming when I get home because they have had some special time with their Daddy.
I get home and there is a mess. It's a beautiful mess. It's made from love and care and was made possible with time alone with their Dad. I get home feeling refreshed, I've had my time with the girls and time to vent about toilet rolls not being replaced. I'm feeling happy, blessed and ever so lucky knowing I get to go home to that mess.
There's no question about it; we work the best when we are together. Husband and wife. Mummy and Daddy.
Does your partner do things that drive you mad? How do they spend their time with the kids? Pop a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.
For more daily doses of parenting highs and lows, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
A typical evening for us as a family usually starts with having dinner, followed by my husband and myself clearing up the dishes, hoovering or sweeping the floor, making a tray up of milk and bottles for the night then doing the pack up. We will then take the boys up about 7ish, bath them, then they will get stories and lay in bed. I then grab a shower while my husband plays his guitar to the boys. When I'm out one or sometimes two boys will be asleep then the rest of the evening is ours. It works like a dream. Also to note, the downstairs will be spotless, dishes put away, washing put away. Their bedroom will be tidy with two piles of clothes ready for the next day with any nappies I will need. I am a very organised human and this has been made more apparent when I became a mother. I cope well because of my insane organisational skills. It keeps things in order and I am able to get on with things much easier.
Now, lets look at a typical evening where I go and see friends. I'll make sure that as much as I have been able to I have gotten organised. I usually get their Pjs ready and put them downstairs as they don't get bathed when I go out. I do still have their clothes ready for the next day done however, and a tray ready for night time. I'll cook them something easy, (no judging here) but something like pizza usually does the trick. I'll make sure its ready and they are being fed then will disappear to get ready upstairs. I usually go out around 7 then so leave the rest of the evening and clearing up to my husband.
So, what do I find when I return? Washing up has been done- hurrah, I can put the dishes away in the morning. Let's walk through to the lounge. Oh my...
Children have collapsed into piles on the sofa, husband has Xbox controller in hand. Yes, they're asleep! But the mess is ridiculous and a chore I'll face in the morning, along with somehow the upstairs being in a mess too, the clothes I had ready are now scattered throughout their room.
There is a difference in what happens when I am home and not home. But here is where the flaw lies with me. I can be so focused on getting everything done, to provide the best home environment possible that sometimes I forget to stop and just have fun with it all. The toys can be tidied another day, the clothes can be picked up when I put them on the kids in the morning. What I do know is that men, although they have their flaws and own way of doing something, perhaps they are onto something? I know that my children have the time of their life with their Daddy. They pretend to join in racing car games on the Xbox with him, I'm sure at some point they probably spend a little bit of time beating him up. They usually crash out, or if they haven't they are beaming when I get home because they have had some special time with their Daddy.
I get home and there is a mess. It's a beautiful mess. It's made from love and care and was made possible with time alone with their Dad. I get home feeling refreshed, I've had my time with the girls and time to vent about toilet rolls not being replaced. I'm feeling happy, blessed and ever so lucky knowing I get to go home to that mess.
There's no question about it; we work the best when we are together. Husband and wife. Mummy and Daddy.
Does your partner do things that drive you mad? How do they spend their time with the kids? Pop a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.
For more daily doses of parenting highs and lows, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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