Chores

It is a post I shared in FB inspired this jotting. Facebook is not utterly useless after all I must say.

People accuse me of being feminist as if it is contagious. Yes, I'm a feminist and I wear that badge proudly and unapologetically. I started noticing feminism streak in my childhood and it all boils down to the title of this post "Chores".

One fine day my grandmother asks me to do particular chore like sweeping or mopping. Positioning myself comfortably in front of television I directed at my elder cousin who is sitting idly beside and said "why can't he do it". Her reply was simple "He is a boy". I snarled at her with one word "So?" Her refusal to make her darling grandson work made me much more determined not to do any work at all. When I talk about it now, my grandmother graciously accepts it was a mistake on her part and now she believes each and everyone should learn the basic chores and be self-sufficient. My mother never differentiated despite me having two brothers.

My father is a man who helps my mother in all aspects of household chores. He never sat lazily in front of TV and ordered for anything. I'm told he is the most hands-on-dad while raising the three of us. I clearly remember he combing my hair and doing high ponytail in my 11th and 12th standard for the whole two years. He is still the same. Now he is the most hands-on-granddad to my 4-year-old nephew.

And ditto for my uncle. He shares a greater part of chores with my aunt and grandmother. My other aunts used to make snide remarks at him for doing "womanly" chores. But he neither cared nor stopped doing it. My understanding is that my aunts were pure jealous because their husbands are nothing of that sort. They even proudly announce at family functions of not allowing their husbands to lift a finger. I control my urge to blurt out "Are they handicapped?

I have witnessed the hostesses running around like headless chickens trying to multitask while their respective husbands plonking on their useless glued asses when we were invited by friends and family alike. It makes me feel so sorry for them and I try to help because of guilt. I'm yet to see a couple who shares equal responsibilities when we are invited and allow me to have food in peace.

One of my friends said she hates somebody serving her husband tea instead of her. Sounds all romantic. The same friend was speechless when being asked "Will your husband serves you tea too?

In our household we share responsibilities; however, it is not exactly 50-50 split. And as I'm a control freak and suffers from borderline OCD, I want work to be done in certain way. our rule is simple "No my work or your work, it is our work" and it suits us. Marrying the son of a career woman definitely has the edge in this aspect. And the fact that he is totally into you is just cherry on top.