Second Shift

Have you ever heard of the woman's 2nd shift? It's all the domestic stuff a woman does after she gets home from her job, which is usually the bulk of the housework and child rearing. Now I don't claim to be a neat freak. In fact, I'm pretty messy when left to my own devices. (hence why dr soc thinks I am a closeted hoarder) But when I have my own apartment (and lived w/my ex) I totally had a 2nd shift.

So I was kvetching to my almost mil about it a little because I felt that he wasn't respecting my house work crazy ways. And she explained to me as an older and wiser woman: "well honey, the woman's always going to do more house work then the man."

I call BULL SHIT.
(actually I did snort when she told me this)

But to him, (her son who at the same time was complaining to his mother about me) I was a control freak because I didn't (and still don't) think the kitchen was an appropriate place to take off and leave your pants. Or that the living room banister was the place to drape ties and dress shirts and the floor was where dirty socks went (apparently the 5 sorted laundry baskets were just too hard). Taking the trash bag out of the out garbage can but then leaving it in the middle of the floor and forgetting to put a new bag in because something more exciting came along didn't count as taking out the trash. And squirting a blob of dish soap in the sink did not constitute as doing the dishes. However, if I left a dish in the sink, it received the aforementioned blob of dish soap along with a heavy sigh of exasperation. But water rings/dish marks on all my wood furniture was acceptable behavior since the coasters were stacked in their holder on the other table.

So, call me crazy since I didn't want to pick up after a spoiled 27 year old boy.

I don't mind a little house work here and there. But after living with my ex (and after I escaped that trap as well), I vowed I would not pick up after anyone over the age of 5 (or has 4 legs and a tail) ever again. Because that 2nd shift was bull shit.