Motherhood

I Resent That My Husband does the Laundry

Even though his contributions make me a better mom.

Photo by Joes Valentine on Unsplash

My husband does the laundry. No one asks him to, and often no one thanks him for doing it. But somehow, every week, our clothes, our kids' clothes, the towels, the sheets; they all get cleaned. And with each load, the jealousy grows.

Throwing the piles into the washing machine is definitely the easy part. From there, he sorts them into mounds of hang dry vs. dryer items, hangs the clothes, folds the towels and clothes, and puts the fresh sheets on the beds.

A couple of times per week, I walk into our bedroom to find a tidy little pile of my clothes. They are folded with tenderness, neatly stacked, and grouped by category. I know he would put them away, too, if only he knew where they went.

That is not even close to all he does around the house either. He’s the dishwasher, the grocery collector, the garbage remover, and the maintenance man. He follows behind us all, picking up the thrown socks, crumbs, and toys, somehow managing to maintain some sort of order within the chaos.

This is not to say that he doesn’t spend time with our children. He is the definition of a hands-on dad. There are nightly horsey rides, weekend swimming lessons, and…