Man Insists Wife Does All The Housework, Child Care To Save Face In Front Of His Parents

Families have functioned under a set of expectations for many years. While men were out in the labor generating a living for their families, women would take care of the house and family.

Those days are already a distant memory. There’s nothing wrong with families that continue to follow this pattern. Each family must choose what works best for them. Many families nowadays have two working parents who divide housekeeping and child-care responsibilities (albeit not always equally).

Despite the fact that the husband grew up being trained to lead a family according to traditional gender norms, one couple was able to live this life with minimal difficulty. Everything was OK until the couple had a child, as mom revealed in a Reddit post.

Due to health concerns, the infant was unable to meet the family in a more traditional manner. When the time came for the infant to meet his paternal grandparents, the original poster’s (OP) spouse made an unexpected request. During his parents’ visit… for a month… he wanted his wife to appear to follow traditional gender norms.

Being married entails bringing together two people with vastly different backgrounds. One woman described her experience of being married to a man who was raised to believe in gender stereotypes that are generally held today.

“Husband grew up in a conservative home where gender norms were strictly enforced. When my husband and I first started dating, he had no idea how to properly wash laundry, cook, or clean “she said

“I informed him right away that this wasn’t going to work, and he exhibited a readiness, dare I say excitement, to learn.”

When she got busy, her spouse even made her proud by taking over the majority of that labor.

“He’s now a terrific chef and cleans like a pro,” she explained, “to the point where he handles around 60-70 percent of the domestic tasks while also rearing our 9-month-old kid equally.”

“Because I entered graduate school full-time and had a full-time job, I am unable to participate equally to domestic tasks.”

They haven’t seen many other people since the baby was born during the health crisis.

“Here’s the problem: we had the kid during the height of our state’s [health crisis],” the mother revealed.

“We were taking extreme measures and preventing anyone from seeing our son because MIL and FIL reside around four hours away. Both states currently have infection rates of less than 5%, and both FIL and MIL have [isolated] and been tested several times in order to achieve this “”Pay a visit.”

It seemed fantastic until her spouse made a pretty heinous request.

“They intend to remain with us for a month to assist with the baby. I was looking forward to seeing them until my husband informed me that he would prefer if I did the housework for the sake of his dignity “she admitted.

“He doesn’t want his father-in-law to mock him for being ’emasculated’ and losing control of his home.”

His family has previously expressed their thoughts on the subject.

“Apparently, his parents and extended family members have mocked him in the past for being ‘too soft,’ implying that I am the breadwinner in the marriage,” she stated.

“I quickly declined, believing that gender stereotypes are absolute [crap] and that I should not be propagating them. Since then, he’s been grumpy and seems less enthusiastic about his parents’ stay.”

She experienced tension with her spouse and began to question if she had made a mistake.

She solicited feedback and received a slew of it. People couldn’t believe what her spouse was requesting.

“So, in order to avoid his father insulting his manhood, he’s ready to let you drown in work, school, housework, and childcare? NTA, and don’t let up any time soon, “said one commentator.

Her spouse, it was pointed out, was not doing himself or his dignity any favors.

“Your spouse should immediately return it to you. Encourage him to grill his father for failing to contribute to the family’s finances. Real men are responsible for their children and the home they reside in “yet another commentator proposed.

“The solution to living with his parents’ sexism for the rest of their life is to shut it off, not to play pretend and live a lie every time they see them,” another commented.

“Before they arrive, he has plenty of time to rehearse. He may jot down every insult his father has hurled at him, come up with alternate situations, and then practice saying precisely what he wants to shut it down.”

Then one brilliant commentator made a point that no one else had made.

“Why is your FIL coming if he believes in ‘mens roles’ [expletive]?”

“Having another mouth to feed, another person to clean up after, and a new source of mockery, repression, and expectation is not good,” they said.

“‘Make sure you invite him to do [crap] while he’s here.’

‘Haha, you’ve been whipped, son!’

Hello, FIL, I’m fatigued and still have an exam to study for. Can you help MIL put the baby down tonight while you do the dishes? I’m so delighted you guys came to help!'”