A chaotic wardrobe, piles of unironed clothes, sour soup festering in the fridgethis is what my home looks like these days. I try to gently raise the subject with my wife, but no matter how delicately I ask, I end up accused as well.
I fell in love with Emily the instant I met her. The attraction was immediate, irresistibleI considered myself extremely lucky to be with such an intelligent, attractive, and tidy woman. It seemed only natural to propose.
We decided to move in together, and right from the start Emily made it clear she wasnt fond of housework. She preferred to focus on her career and wanted to split the chores equally. At the time, it sounded entirely reasonable, so I agreed. I had no idea what was coming.
We divided up the chores, and Emily assured me she could easily balance work and home life. I trusted her judgment without trying to push my own point of view.
Six months down the line, things began to unravel. Emilys working life wasnt panning out as shed hoped. She had a part-time job with some obscure firm, her salary patchy and her schedule all over the shop. The money she did earn went straight into her own personal treats. Meanwhile, I was working my socks off from morning till night. Yet, Emily insisted on sticking rigidly to our original chore division, conveniently overlooking her share sometimes.
At first, she did her part diligently, but her enthusiasm gradually faded. The house grew noticeably messierpiles of unironed laundry everywhere. To my surprise, she started blaming me, saying I wasnt pulling my weight at home. It hurt. Balancing a demanding job with running the entire household was becoming overwhelming. Wed agreed on sharing responsibilities from the beginning, after all.
I held out hope that things would improve once the baby arrived, thinking Emily might focus more on our home during maternity leave. But matters only got worse. Sometimes it seems life might actually be easier without her. On top of everything, our arguments have become a regular feature.
I do keep trying to understand Emilys perspective and put myself in her shoes, but theres always this nagging feeling that my own needs are being overlooked. I work in the office, come home and take on even more jobs, constantly juggling tasks. More than anything, I just want a bit of peace and rest.
I wonder what Emily does all day during her maternity leave, what stops her from making dinner or tidying up? Our baby is only two months old and sleeps most of the time. I cant help thinking Id manage to tidy up here and there in her place. These questions keep nagging at me about what life would be like if we had another child. Im all for equal partnership and supporting each other, but it feels like Emily struggles with that idea.
I dont want to tear our family apartI adore our child. Still, I feel stretched to the very limit, and I have no idea how to carry on like this. In this story, whose side would you take?
