Who Does What How A Rabbi and Marriage Counselor Approaches Dividing Chores With His Wife

Who Does What How A Rabbi and Marriage Counselor Approaches Dividing Chores With His Wife For most of human history, the way we talk about household labor teilens has rotated largely around heteronormative gender roles. Thankfully, the idea that gender should determine the who does what of housework is (mostly) no longer the world we live in. But theres still no rule book for helping lebensabschnittsgefhrtes figure out how to divvy up household chores the physical, mental, and emotional ones in a way thats fair and equitable.So, what does the division of household chores for modern couples look like, really? In FGBs Who Does What series, we asked readers to complete an exercise in order to share with us the amount and nature of housework they actually do, and how they and their mann an ihrer seite decided to divvy it all up.--Name Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin, Co-founder of The Marriage Restoration Project with his wife, RivkaLocation Baltimore, MDRelationship status MarriedWhat type of ho me (e.g, condo, house) do you have? HouseDo you have any kids or pets? Yes, 5 kids--How long have you and your freund been together?17 yearsHow long have you been living together?17 yearsWhat chores do you do daily, and how did you and your partner decide youd be the one to do them? Please describe.I make the kids lunches and usually dinner and clean the kitchen. I also do laundry.What chores do you do weekly and/or monthly, and how did you and your partner decide youd be the one to do them? Please describe.I usually do most of the cooking for our weekly Sabbath meals. Its like a weekly Thanksgiving so its a lot of cooking. I came into the marriage knowing how to cook, so it was easier for me. I am also very organized and efficient in the kitchen, so it is easier for my wife when I cook.How about your partner? What chores do they do daily, and how did they and/or you decide theyd do them?She does carpool and laundry, sweeping, straightening up and decluttering.What chores does you r partner do weekly and/or monthly, and how did they and/or you decide theyd do them?She does grocery shopping, as she is out and about more than I am.Is the way you and your partner divide tasks similar to the household you grew up in? Why or why not?My wife used to declutter a lot growing up but had nothing to do with the kitchen. While I cooked a little bit growing up, my father would work long hours so I really did not see him doing any household chores at all. Its still a stretch for me, as I have certain expectations of what my wife should be doing based on what I saw my mother do at home.Whats something you and your partner could improve on when divvying up and completing household tasks? Whats something you feel youre doing well?My wife says she could do a better job pitching in. ur house is organized and neat and looks nice. We both like a certain standard and get it done.We have learned through trial and error over the years. A 50/50 split is not always realistic. We prefe r to focus on our strengths and do what we are best and most efficient at. While we both do some of the others jobs, we try to be flexible and do what needs to be done to manage our household. This is especially necessary if you have small kids. You have to learn how to roll with the flow and not get caught up on whats supposed to be and just focus on what needs to be done.Lightning Round1. Who makes the bed?Rivka does, but not right away2. When you go out to eat, who picks the restaurant and/or makes the reservation?We both do3. Who makes doctors appointments? Dentist appointments?Rivka does for the kids4. Who picks up the dry cleaning?I do5. Who keeps track of friends and family members birthdays?Rivka6. Who pays bills? (Or if you divvy this up, who pays which bills?)I do7. When something in the house/apartment is broken, who makes aya it gets fixed?We both do8. Who makes sure the tags on your cars are up-to-date?Me9. Who vacuums?Mostly Rivka10. Who was the last partie to dust som ething?Rivka11. Who was the last person to clean your toilet?Rivka12. Who buys groceries?Rivka13. Who brings in the mail?I do14. Who irons?I do15. Who was the last person to clean out the fridge/pantry of expired items?Rivka16. Youve been invited to a wedding. Who RSVPs?Shlomo17. When planning a trip, who books the flights? The hotels?Rivka18. Who planned what you did last Friday night?I did19. Who planned your last date night?I do20. You need a gift for a friends housewarming party. Who buys it?Rivka21. Who goes to parent-teacher conferences?We both do22. When you need a babysitter, who is the one to book and communicate with them?Rivka23. Your child(ren) has a half-day at school. Who handles this, and how?We both pick them up depending on schedule24. Who takes your child(ren) to their extracurricular activities? (If you divvy this up, who goes to what activity?)We both do25. Who planned the last birthday party for a child?Rivka26. Who took your child(ren) to get a vaccination last ?Rivka27. Your child acted out. Who will discipline them, generally?Rivka28. Your child needs a haircut. Who notices this, and who makes the appointment? Who takes them to the appointment?I take the boys. Rivka does the girls.29. Your child is about to outgrow their shoes. Who notices this, and who takes them to the shoe store?Rivka30. The last time you got a call from the school nurse that your child was sick, what did you and your partner do?We picked them up from school.31. During weekends and vacations, who considers the childrens needs for entertainment, meals and their schedule (in general)?Rivka--Interested in participating in FGBs Who Does What series? Email infofairygodboss.com with Who Does What in the subject line.