What Does Your Husband Do That Pisses You Off?

Part of my rationale for this blog is be a better husband to my SAHM wife. How can this blog help? Well, honestly, that's where my readers (all 3 of you!) come in.

Today I'm trying to figure out what your husbands that annoy you as a SAHM. All husbands do stupid things that drive their wives crazy, but I'm talking about SAHM-specific stuff here. It could be not appreciating the amount of work you do. Maybe they pass off all of the kid-related work to you even when they're home.

Whatever it is, I (and my fellow dads) want to know. We can only fix it if we know what we're doing wrong. So don't hold back. Come out with both barrels blasting.

Single Moms Have It Easier!?!

As a quasi-attorney, I really like lawyer jokes. And since I vehemently object to the text of the article I'm going to talk about, I thought this little cartoon worked perfectly.

Apparently the women that read Babytalk Magazine would rather not have a partner around when it comes to parenting. They think it would just be easier to do it alone. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?! Almost 2/3 of the unmarried moms that responded to the survey said it's sometimes easier to not have a husband or boyfriend. Their reasons, you ask:

• No arguing over how to raise the kids


• Don't have to worry about working on their marriage


• Free to follow their own dreams

I just loved this little gem of a quote:

"A friend of mine has two little boys and one very big one: Her husband is more
of a responsibility than a partner," says Amy King of Kissimmee, Florida. "I
would rather be single than in an unequal relationship. I don't have that cloud
hanging over me if the relationship needs work and I'm too tired to put in the
effort. And I don't have time to get lonely!"

Even some of the married moms agreed it would be easier to go it alone. A whopping 22% of the married respondents felt that way.

And here I thought I was being helpful. Apparently I'm just getting in the way and creating more work for my wife. Haven't men for years been berated for taking an active role in the lives of their children? We've told how important it is to be there, be helpful and be supportive. Then I go and read something like this. Almost makes me feel like men just can't win. Either we're not doing enough or we're in the way.

By the way, Happy Fatherhood Friday everyone!

And don't forget to visit the Mars website for your free chocolate this morning. Look here.

More Thoughts on Dr. Laura's Book: "In Praise of Stay-At-Home Moms"

I've been thinking some more about some of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's comments in the interview I posted a few days ago here. Specifically, I've been fuming about her comment regarding a father's ability to stay home with a child under the age of 3.

It is absolutely ludicrous to me that this woman honestly believes that a guy cannot successfully stay home with a young child. After all of the years where men have been bashed for not taking an active role in their kids' lives, this lady comes along and actually says that men don't have the ability to stay home with young kids.

Is that condescending to anyone else? Because, honestly, I think I'm a pretty damn good father. I don't know if I'd be a great stay at home dad, but that's not the point. I could absolutely do it, and do it well, if I had to. And I know that there are plenty of great stay at home dads out there.

Having a vagina does not make you more qualified to be a stay at home parent! That's just not part of the qualifications. It's all about your ability to provide for your children and do the things that will make them well-adjusted people.

Damn you Dr. Laura. I'm done talking about you.

She does, however, say some great things about stay at home moms, so I do appreciate that. Here's another interview if you're interested.

Please Respect Your Local SAHM

As if being a stay-at-home isn't hard enough, my wife got to interact with a first-class citizen today. She took our 2 toddlers to the public library (a wonderfully free activity for kids of all ages) this morning. Our library is pretty popular, so the main parking lot is usually pretty full.

As she was herding our 3 and 1 year olds to the car, a gentleman (and I use that term VERY loosely) pulled up behind and waited to take the parking spot she was about to vacate. He proceeded to sit and watch a 8 1/2 month pregnant woman put a 1 year old in her car seat and a double-wide stroller in the back of the car. As she started to help the 3 year old climb into the car, our kind middle-aged man asked, "Are you leaving or not?" After his obviously well-meaning question, another spot opened up a couple spots down. Here's where things get fun.

As he drove by my about-to-burst-pregnant wife he said, "Don't hurry!" SERIOUSLY?!?!? What is wrong with you? Always the diplomatic one, my wife ignored him, finished strapping our son in his car seat and got into the car. As she pulled out and started to drive off, our hero (read: jackass) slowly walks across the parking lot directly in front of the car at the slowest pace possible. He actually waited so he could slowly cross in front of her!

My wife used to be a middle school teacher. This is the type of thing her students would do. But this was a grown man. Shouldn't he be at work? Shouldn't he recognize that she is pregnant and putting 2 kids in the car. Hell, a nice guy would have parked and helped her with the stroller. This guy certainly does not heart SAHMs. Sometimes people just boggle the mind. OK, I'm done. Rant over.