Doin' Dirty Laundry

[MineralMan]

It's the Sunday before Christmas
And all through my house,
The sound of the dryer is
Scaring the mouse.

The stockings that'll hang
by the chimney out there
Are dirty and smelly
And laden with dog hair.

And that's the story of my Sundays. I get to post on DU and run three loads of laundry through the washer and dryer and then fold them up and hang them up and put them away. Since my office is down here in the basement, I took that job over from my wife, whose office is in the spare bedroom upstairs. That way, I can hear the dryer shut off when they're done.

Now, mind you, I'm not quite as careful as she with sorting stuff, but I do know which things are not colorfast, so I haven't pinked the undies so far. I'm not always as careful about turning t-shirts and the like right side out, either, but we can do that before putting them on. I do try to make sure my wife's stuff is right side out, though, but don't care much about my own.

There are no gender-linked chores in this house. There are just chores. I don't understand gender-linked chores, really, and never have. I'm a better cook than my wife (don't tell her), so I do the cooking. The cook doesn't wash up, though. That's the rule. Well, unless my wife is busy with something, and then the rule gets broken.

Chores are for doing by whomever can do them with the least inconvenience. That's the rule in our house. We can't afford a maid or cleaning person, so it's up to us, and we get it done. Whoever notices something that needs doing does it, although I do reserve the job of running the snowblower on those cold mornings.

How do things get divided in your house, if you're part of a couple?

2 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I do everything, damnit!
	0 (0%)
	My spouse does everything, lucky me.
	0 (0%)
	We divide up the chores evenly.
	1 (50%)
	We divide up the chores unevenly, and I get stuck with most of them, damnit!
	0 (0%)
	We have people to do those things.
	0 (0%)
	Ugg say: Men do man stuff. Women do woman stuff.
	0 (0%)
	Nobody does any of it. Screw housework.
	0 (0%)
	Chores? What are those?
	0 (0%)
	I'm not answering your stupid question, so there!
	0 (0%)
	I like to vote.
	1 (50%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[MineralMan]

1. Aha! My wife just came in from visiting her mom,

who is in a convalescent center, recovering from a medical issue (she'll be home for Christmas.) And what did my wife bring home? Her mom's laundry. So, the cycle has begun again, extending my laundry day. Huzzah!

[Agschmid]

2. Single.

I do it all.

[MineralMan]

5. Well, that's a simple solution...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. We usually just do the chores.

My wife does most of the dusting, vacuuming, etc. I do the cooking (and the dishwashing) and run the errands. She does the money management. But, if something just needs doing like cleaning up a spill or changing the cat box, one of us just does it.

I've been doing a lot more because my wife is recovering from a stroke and a very serious kind of cancer.

We've never been troubled with disputes over who does what.

[MineralMan]

4. Disputes over chores? What a waste of time.

Like you, we just do them. We don't stress over such things.

I hope your wife recovers well.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. She's getting there.

[Codeine]

7. My fiancee is a stay-at-home mom.

I work fifty to sixty hours a week. Thus the lion's share of the chores fall to her.

I still have to take out the trash ("man's job", according to her) and I scrub the tub and shower (out of my own personal fastidiousness) but she handles most of the rest. I don't mind running the vacuum while she does other stuff, and I am in charge of weekend breakfasts.

[Shrike47]

8. I do most of the vacuuming, dusting, etc. Spouse does the bills and the yard. We both cook.

He's the better cook but loves chilies waaay too much.

[RC]

9. Depends on the expertise and time needed for the job.

I do the laundry and run the dishwasher, the yard work and most of the grocery shopping. She does most of the cooking, because she likes to cook. House work? wadat?

It's not as uneven as it looks. She works and I am retired.

[HereSince1628]

10. Here chores are divided up unequally because time to do them is unequal

I have no idea what household chore would be a man thing vs a woman thing. Chores are just stuff that gets done to keep a household in order.

[LWolf]

11. A combination of 1, 7, and 8.

I live alone these days, so I do everything, damn it!

Except when my son and grandson come over periodically to help out with some heavier chores, like re-hanging barn doors, hauling wood, stacking hay, moving fences...

Of course, living alone, I only do what I choose to; I can let things go to a point without inconveniencing anyone.

When I was married, chores were generally divided into indoor me, outdoor spouse, but not completely. He cooked, did dishes, and laundry. I scooped manure, hauled wood, watered, weeded, etc.. He did things that required tools and mechanical things and construction and climbing. I took care of the bills and keeping things organized and lots of other chores.

Frankly, one of the reasons I know I'll never get married again is that, despite the fact that I really did love him, the only time I miss him is when I have to call someone and pay them to do repairs and chores I can't manage alone.