Children...

I don't want them to grow up too quickly and miss what being young and carefree is all about.
I want them to enjoy it all. But being their mom, I want to be part of their enjoyment too...So far so good.
My other children- the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers

Thursday 17 February 2011

Selective hearing and other things...

I had a very interesting book club meeting last night. 


Firstly, I was late because I am the youngest member of book club and still have children that need picking up from school, bus etc.
Second, I was a solo parent as the Rooster was in the West Country on business. Not really sure what that means but there he was, not home. So I had to throw food at the chicks and hope they got it.
Thirdly, when I got to b.c., we spent 30 seconds talking about a Charming Scottish tale called, House-Bound by Winifred Peck. Enough said about the book. The real conversation was about our husbands and sons.


It was instigated from the book really, housewife taking on the role of chief cook and bottle washer while husband sits in his velvet smoking jacket with his feet up in front of the fire, laid by wife earlier that day of course.


Our thought for the evening was really that our husband's mothers are/were to blame if our husbands are useless in this day and age. 
Don't get all uppity- 'But they work so hard in the city, farm, store, whatever, they don't want to come home and take out the trash, garbage, rubbish,etc.


This is 2011, not 1911. Men are very capable and so are their sons. 
Loading a dishwasher, ironing a shirt and sorting out the bloody recycling are good common sense jobs and a nice little bit of help for mom/mum.


There are jobs in our house that I save for my Rooster. Sometimes I save them for months for him because he has selective hearing when it comes to manly duties around the home. Light bulbs are for him as we have 12 foot high ceiling and I am 5"2, 5"10 on a ladder because I hate heights and won't go to the top. I have also taught son to do these jobs when he is home from boarding school.
   Recycling is mostly his job too. I find it very amusing when he walks into the pantry and then tells me there is a funny smell coming from in there and he wonders what it could be. The fact that he had to step around the over flowing bin to get to the larder is not hear or there.


    Another job that I feel is for the man of the house is the Christmas tree. There it lovingly stands for a couple of weeks, decorated with care and brightly lit, presents scattered around its flowing bottom branches until I can't stand it any longer and whip the whole thing down in 10 minutes, lights and all about the 5th of January. Remember, I am in the Christmas business and having sold trees 24/7 for 5 weeks, January 5th was a do-able dismantling date for me. Son kindly dragged tree out the door on his way up out but guess where that tree is still today??? And I was not alone in this with the other b.c. moms- about four feet out from the front door. Still. 


Selective hearing, seeing and doing more like it.









5 comments:

  1. selective hearing that good old male affliction. They learn it awful young you know! Bog Boy has it down pat at the age of 4 years!

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  2. Your Xmas tree story could be mine except that I'm referring to the large Tupperware box of decorations that somehow got missed when they were all put away in the garage attic. I left it in the middle of the dining table in the 2nd week of January and yes, it's still there.
    I may have to say something as it's not going to budge otherwise. I know the answer to my nagging will be that he didn't know where I wanted it put. Despite the fact that everything else Xmas-related is up in the garage attic.
    Pah!

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  3. Tattie, get the iron out quick, you can never start them too young!

    Expat Mum, from what my friends say, Christmas is the real selective hearing/doing job. And it is the same across the pond!

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  4. How funny! Just this morning I was having a good ol' moan to one of my friends about this very thing--actually mine was more about the fact that hubby has written a major text book and I haven't had a book published partly because I don't have a wife (and he has a very busy one). Grrrr.

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  5. I have to say I'm blessed with a husband who is pretty handy with a hoover and awesome at ironing. He doesn't do toilets though. Unfortunately we seem to be failing miserably at instilling these virtues in our offspring.

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