"You Should've Asked"

Because the author in this short comic was saying the same things that my wife does and because her husband says the same things that I do, I suddenly realized that I could no longer attribute some of my wife’s criticisms to her distinct personality and sense of responsibility. And I couldn’t say that my being ready to help was actually helping.

I never saw that caring about, managing and organizing the work of a household was an actual task in and of itself, but I can no longer deny it.

I’m a bit ashamed, because it’s so obvious to me that organizing and planning a list of well-written software development stories is labor (quite aside from executing them). I didn’t make the leap to where I might see it applying to household management.

This is why my mother complained, why my partner complains, and why unless I set a better example, my own daughter will learn that she should be resigned to it in her future relationship.

Read: You should’ve asked (by @KerriganNuNue)

Summary

Executing tasks around the home doesn’t actually help as much as taking responsibility for assembling, scheduling, and keeping track of them. That is the hidden work that I have not been raised to see and it will be a ongoing challenge to remind myself of that.