As a mom of three boys [1], one of my most important motherly duties is to teach them that women can do anything men can do (and, let's face it, sometimes we do it better). They need to see superheroes like Captain Marvel kicking major butt [2] on the big screen, but they also need to see that both of their parents play an active role in their care and the day-to-day upkeep of the house [3]. In this instance, however, equality doesn't mean that my husband and I split these routine duties 50-50.
As a stay-at-home mom [4] (who also works from home part-time), I naturally take on more of the household chores. But, even when my husband is at home, I am typically the one to clean the bathrooms, cook dinner, or wash the mountain of stinky laundry. Don't get me wrong, he does his fair share of nappy changes and dirty dishes, and he is more than happy to step in when I complain that I might lose it if I have to clean the floors for the hundredth time that day, but I don't expect him to do those things as often as I do. The reason: he takes on some pretty important things around the house that I simply cannot.
My husband is an amazingly talented artist. He spent every night for weeks drawing a superhero mural on our son's bedroom wall, while I am reluctantly accepting the fact that my 5-year-old's artistic abilities will soon exceed mine.
When our carpet was well beyond worn out after surviving three babies and two elderly dogs, my husband researched, purchased, and installed hardwood floors [6] to replace it. Never in a million years would I be able to do something like that, no matter how many episodes of This Old House I binged.
He also climbs a ladder to clean the gutters (a terrifying task for someone as clumsy as myself), built our dining room table, and can fix a bothersome leaky tap. Now, I'm sure I could read a few books or watch a few YouTube videos and master some of these skills, but I actually like our arrangement.
When things go really wrong, I like knowing that my husband can, for the most part, fix the problem without calling in extra help [8]. I like that he can take a creative idea for our home and run with it. Maybe we don't fit the mold of "I cook, you clean," but I would still argue that our household work is split right smack-dab down the middle. That being said, I still totally go out of my way to make sure my kids know I can put together a piece of IKEA furniture [9] like nobody's business.