h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We'll talk again in 18 years and nine months, Alex.

Me - Married, with 2 daughters.

That I'm aware of, at any rate.

I get up before any of them. Have my breakfast, in peace, and make the kids' lunches ready for school before getting them up. I go to work all day.
During this time, Wife gets kids ready for school, sorts them out, then either goes to college course, or tidys the house, puts washing on, does ironing, and gets day to day shopping. She usually cooks tea during the week.
Evenings I get home, eat tea at table with family, then *I* do the washing up, elder daughter dries, younger daughter showers herself, and wife gets to sit for a while.
Elder daughter has a shower (time in shower increasing exponentially with age - and my razors now have to be locked up!) while I attack younger daughter with a hairdryer.
Weekends usually see me doing the cooking.

It's teamwork. Wife is better at sorting the washing. I am better at repairing things, decorating (though She is better at gloss work) and helping with homework.

But I have to admit - the home would grind to a halt were it not for a certain someone's organisation. She's the cement that holds it all together.

- so men who help with the housework AND the kids *do* exist. I'm in the wrong country.

*giggles*


No wonder he's popular!

Perspective...

9 year old boy, 7 year old sister, 5 year old sister, 31 year old parents, one parent working full time shift work, other working part time, including one night a week at the FPA (Family Planning Clinic as a secretary) and one night as a Brownie leader.

Monday and Thursday washing up for boy, as Mum and two sisters do Brownies.
Tuesdays and Fridays, sister 1 does washing up, as Boy has cubs on Tuesdays.
Wednesday, Sister 2 does washing up because she has to.
Saturday, all the kids muck in.
Sunday, Dad does washing up, as Mum cooked, kids peeled vegetables, Dad's done nothing all week except sleep or be away and not playing with kids!!!

16 year old boy, 14 year old sister, 12 year old sister, Parents as above...

Tuesday and Friday, washing up for boy, as Wednesday Duke of Edinburgh Award, Thursday Scouts. Do own ironing, cook cakes etc. Look after sisters. Saturday Folk Dancing with Girl-Friends.
Monday and Thursday, Number 1 Sister, as Guides on Friday. Saturday, housecleaning etc.
Wednesday, and Thursday, Number 2 sister, as Guides on Friday, Saturday is Band practice. Sunday is tidy conservatory.
Saturday whoever was free, usually Mum.

Other chores, by boy, at various ages:-
Washing and ironing, along with pressing long trousers, age 11. Cooking, age 12, Cycle to School, back for lunch, Mum babysitting neighbour's one year old... Cook lunch, age 13. Looking after nipper band changing nappy and feeding, age 15. (How I hate disposables. Give me terry-towelling any day, even with a baby burco to boil them!!!)

DIY by osmosis... (don't ask how... I have no idea!!!)

Current status, Single, love ironing, love washing clothes, love cooking, (haven't a clue about desserts, so just as well I don't eat them.) Have a fantastic vacuum cleaner that does the flat in ten minutes, I assist.

Male failing? And the reason why I am Billy No Mates? No concept of Put Away Ability!

Concept of 'Live life to the minute, and DUMP!' No wonder no-one visits, and I hate it, but it is what single blokes do! I just hate dusting!!!

Lifestyle changes for the better?

If I could do storage, the way I do 'no tramlines' when ironing?

If I could do 'this needs to go here' the way I do 'this is the right herb and spice for this recipe'?

If I could dust the flat the way I 'vacuum all nooks and crannies'....?

If? If? If?

Let's face it, I am a domestic disaster.

I can wash, iron, sew, darn, cook, do DIY, fix a plug, program the video, change a bulb, put a out of the window without killing it, fix a broken finger, do CPR, reprogram the neighbour's central heating, reboot her broadband, put an Ikea bookshelf together but I am me useless at domestics!

No wonder I am depressed!!!

Is it any wonder?

As a bloke, what use am I?

But, like all of males above, we survive .. In spite of ourselves!

So that is my 2008 domestic public detox... Bared my soul... Asked for the poisoned arrows to be rained upon me... and openly declared how useless the male of the species is!!!

* Brothers!!!*

Although:

I do know the difference between a Philips, blade and posidrive screwdriver...
What size fuse to use in an iron...
How to fix the waste-disposal unit...
How to open the coin trap on the washing machine...
What the security code is on the holiday luggage...

Maybe I am not that useless...

MMF

o\~

*Although I bet none of us would complain about a little assistance. *

How would I know where the Passports are???

I believe it's a myth that men can't do the domestic stuff,it's because the women naturally take on the role and don't give the guys the opportunity to do it!

B'Elana, to answer your original posting,

1. Women are smarter than men
2. The exact method of packing the dishwasher is unimportant.

Thank you, Gnomon.

arghhh, Gnomon, the method of stacking the dishwasher is _very_ important! However, I'm happy to let my lot learn.

Moonhogg you and my are cut from the same cloth!

Sho, I would probably accept any method they'd pack the dishwasher, if they'd at least manage to put their dishes into it, and not just leave them in the sink or on the kitchen table.

What's a dishwasher?

I do all the domestic stuff (can't do any DIY and my fence is falling down so can I borrow you, MMF?) including hunt-the-dirty-underpants safari through teenage son's bedroom he can't even put mucky clothes in the laundry basket even though I've tried to show him/teach him that that's the only way they're going to get nice and clean for him to muck up again. My older lad was the same but my two girls were very helpful the older one loved to help with laundry and the younger one used to clean and dust and hoover when she was bored or waiting for a friend to call.

How I miss my daughters

son 21, daughter 20- both believe in vampiresbut they look like hoovers, say that word and they run like hell, THEN! if they have used itstill have to follow to get the white bits up that they fail to see. Also they are very health and safety conscious! if they see anything on the floor, they will walk round it so they don't trip up, even fluff

If I were you, Bel I would look for an appropriate strategy.
I wish you success!

My brother and I help with dinner sometimes, set the table usually, load and unload the dishwasher, (though mom usually has to rearrange to exact specifications known only to her) and do the washing up. If we're about and cleaning needs doing, mom will get us to do some. We do most of our own ironing.

Of course, when we're at uni they have to do it all.

Happy New Year Bel

I can load a dishwasher v well but I prefer to wash up. Agatha Christie once said that she thought of many plots for her books when she was washing up and I agree that it's great thinking time.

Dusting is good, hoovering is ok (especially at nightime ) and I can iron but I hate doing it.

Single, no kids but I hope I'll be the same if and when that changes

Happy New Year to you, too, van smeiter.

Whenever I tell son #1 that he should take the opportunity to learn as long as he still lives with us, and that he'll benefit from the knowledge once he moves out, he replies: oh, I'll just take A (son #2) with me.

Make him put that in writing, Bel!!

<< load and unload the dishwasher, (though mom usually has to rearrange to exact specifications known only to her) and do the washing up >>

you lost me there, Elentari. If B'el wouldn't mind, could you elaborate on what exactly *does* happen to the dirty cutlery, pots and pans in your house? (which is what I call "washing up")

GB, there are always larger items like post and pans that don't fit in the dishwasher (mine's a small one, with only 40cm), or which you just use too often to have them in the dishwasher until it's full, so they still need to be washed up. At least that's how it is here.

Some of us have to do it all the traditional way. Having just moved from a dishwasher flat to a non-dishwasher flat I find washing up no less hassle than farting about with the dish washer, but I am only washing for one.

Though you wouldn't think so if you saw the amount of stuff in the sink.