Parenting - Husbands Beware

I work rotating shift work, so on my days off, I have the awesome opportunity to take care of Jada some days. It's been a rollercoaster ride since we've been home. After 13 years of DINKing it, (Double Income No Kids), we now have a 15 month old to take care of. Major life change.

I now have a new appreciation and a wakeup call I'd like to share with husbands. Childcare is HARD WORK!! I hope to shed a little light on husbands that are in the dark. If you're not in the dark and you understand what it takes to maintain a household with kids, than congratulations and pray for those of us who were or are still in the dark.

I have experienced what it's like to chase a 14 month old around the house all day for several days while the dishes in the sink, clothes in the hamper, trash in the can and dust on the floor pile up! See, at that age, you just can't walk away from the infant/toddler and do these chores. Nap time isn't enough time to catch up either, especially when you have the opportunity to nap yourselves.

If you're like me, you've heard horror stories of the stay at home mom working it all day and the husband comes home and waits for dinner while "resting" from his hard day's work. The fact is, the work of an domestic engineer is never done! So, if by some chance any of you guys have been slacking in helping out the wife with some of the household duties, step up!

It's not only physically tiring, its emotionally tiring. Even though its an awesome opportunity to teach, mold and discipline your child, you tend to risk losing your cool when the clothes, dishes, trash and dust are piling up and you can't get the infant/toddler to LISTEN!!

I've heard the value of a stay at home mother to be anywhere from $50,000 to $130,000 annual salary. That's fair. I encourage husbands to consider the physical, emotional and spiritual load that comes along with maintaining a household.

Help out and even better, show your appreciation. Say, "Thank You", send some flowers, treat her to a meal. Do something, she's earned it.