On Washing Dishes and Cleaning Mess | Weekend Engagement 167

Before I got married, I have my parents do most of the chores at home. It’s not that I don’t help at all, it’s just that my parents are so into housework such as doing the laundry, taking the trash, cleaning the house, and preparing meals. The only thing I usually do is wash the dishes and fold clothes.

But when I became a full-pledged husband, things turned out to be quite a challenge. I no longer have my parents to depend on doing these things. I don’t want to pass on all of these responsibilities to my wife either. I thought that I have to man up and be dependable.

One of my marriage vows is to help my wife in managing the home, and to me, it includes the household chores and not just finances. Even if I come home late or exhausted, I make it a point that I will still help in making sure we live in a tidy place. We may not have kitchen space like those that can be seen in TikToks and lifestyle magazines, but I always wanted to make sure the kitchen top is organized and neat. Yes, I do the dishes. It’s my forte and my favorite chore, to be honest.

Another task that I have embraced fully is to wash the foot rags and mop the floor. We have two pets - a cat named Fillet and a dog named Nugget. And though we do our best to potty train them, sometimes they have “accidents.” It’s a pain in the ass to clean up after their mess, but it’s part of the job of a responsible pet owner! So I have no choice but to clean their pee, mop the floor, and wash the rags. I seldom do this when I was still a bachelor, but now I even plan my days to make sure this chore gets a spot on my schedule!

Lastly, I have fully embraced the task of taking out the trash. I learned from my father to prepare the trash the night before the garbage truck arrives so I will not rush early in the morning and leave a mess at home. Usually in our place, the truck arrives three times a week, and very early in the morning! So if I am late, I have to wait for the next scheduled collection. When I had the chance to chat with other newlywed guys, I found out that they are the ones who do this chore too! So I guess this role is a man’s domain.

The only things that I don’t do are cook meals and do the laundry. I love a good meal, and I enjoy my wife’s dishes. I’ll leave that department to her. With regards to the laundry, the good thing is we live adjacent to a laundry shop, and since we both don’t want to do it ourselves, we’d rather have our soiled clothes serviced.

It is not uncommon for husbands and wives to argue about household chores but for me, it’s a matter of understanding and complementing to help each other. As for our setup, my wife works very early in the morning until the afternoon and her work drains her to the point that she no longer has the energy to move things around the house. As for me, when I get home from the office, after a few minutes of rest, I do stuff to make sure things are in order.

However, when I am not in the mood for chores, or when I am too tired, or I just want to be lazy - the hell with the dishes and the mess! This is the reason why we chose to live on our own. We can do whatever we like without someone to boss us around!

This is a raw picture of where my usual kitchen battle happens!

A weekend engagement prompt by @galenkp