No One-Woman Show

I am routinely humbled by the graciousness of my husband.  Today, he rearranged his schedule so he could come home early to help me shuttle kids to activities.  Annie and Molly now have conflicting arrangements on Tuesday nights, and I added a meeting to the mix.  I couldn't have done it without him today.  In addition, he has offered to flex his schedule to help me fill my service requirement this semester.

Confession: when I shovel the snow or take out the garbage or am home 2 evenings a week alone with the kids, I am not such a team player.  That's when the "I do everything around here" speech comes out. 

 

Actually, I do not do everything around here.  It's when I have to come to Jeff and ask for help that I am reminded that I am not superhuman.  I am a human family member.  I cannot singlehandedly run an efficient household.  And the times I think I can, I have forgotten the fun, kindness, patience, and other pleasantries that make a home worth living in.

That's where Jeff shines.  He jokes and goofs around until he makes me smile.  He invites me to relax when I'm self-righteously running around like a crazy woman.  He never criticizes when I drop a ball or break something.  He listens to my over-analyzation of everything.  He hugs me every time I cry. He bought me this house, even though he just wanted to rent an apartment for the rest of his life.  And he tries to fix the towel bars when they fall off the wall and stuff like that.  He spends his days with really smart and accomplished women and hot young undergrads and is still faithfully devoted to me.  He even -you have no idea how monumental this is-cleaned my car this weekend. 

And then there are the Molly and Anna contributions.  The sweet childhood games that fill our house with laughter and imagination.  The entertainment I get as I go about my chores.  The hugs and cuddles and funny stories.  The botched chores and "help" with baking and cooking. The reasons to take a few hours and go ice skating or to the zoo.  

Family isn't just one huge responsibility that's mine to organize, feed, clean up after, cart around, boss around, etc.  They are the most important people in the world to me.  The system works best when everyone is contributing.  Even in ways I don't always count as important.