When my husband Eric told me scrubbing toilets was “women’s work,” I was stunned but I didn’t let it slide. Eric was great in many ways: he
remembered birthdays, made me laugh, and handled the outdoor chores without complaint. But inside the house? All cleaning and chores fell on me,
even though I worked full-time too. After our daughter Emma was born, Eric stepped up at first taking time off work, helping with feedings, diaper
changes, and even putting together the nursery.
For a while, I thought parenthood had changed him. But soon, old habits returned. Eric retreated to his gaming chair after work, leaving me exhausted
and overwhelmed with cooking, cleaning, laundry, and caring for a newborn. When I got sick and asked him to clean the bathroom, he flat-out
refused, saying, “That’s women’s work.”
That’s when I decided enough was enough. I called my cousin Stacey, a professional cleaner, and paid her to deep-clean our house using the $800 I
earned by selling Eric’s Xbox. When Eric came home and saw the spotless house but no Xbox, he was speechless. I told him, “You said cleaning was
my job, so I used your Xbox money to get it done.”