I am busy with this book Blueprints for a solid marriage, where Dr. Steve Stephens says that marriages are like houses. We are busy with the kitchen, which represents all the practical projects in the marriage.
The first practical protect was PRACTICAL TOGETHERNESS
https://steemit.com/christian-trial/@hope777/love-and-marriage-69-the-kitchen-practical-togetherness
The second practical protect was FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
https://steemit.com/christian-trail/@hope777/love-and-marriage-70-the-kitchen-practical-projects-part-2
Today I write about Household chores, which is another area of practical togetherness.
Every couple will know that household chores can create a lot of strive in a marriage. We live in a culture where each one want to do things our own way. We naturally seem to divide household chores into “his” and “hers” list and if we do some chores together, it is significantly shorter than the other two. By dividing up so much of what we do, we miss a great opportunity to connect and share a load between two sets of shoulders. By doing chores together they go faster and are often a lot easier. Besides that, it can allow for some great conversation. There is power in doing things together. So clean the house together, do your yard together, paint the family room together and wash your car together. The payoff makes it all worth it.
Practical togetherness is the goal, although it is not always practical. If you and your spouse have totally different styles of cooking then it may be a disaster. Yet I know many couples who found that cooking together is a wonderful experience.
One of the reasons why household chores often become a point of frustration or conflict is that you enter marriage with certain expectations. The husband’s mother kept a beautiful garden and he expect his wife to do the same, but she don’t have the energy or desire to do it. After a year of tension over the matter they decided to do it together and were surprised that they both had a knack for gardening and were enjoying it very much.
Many household chores may seem small, but when you start adding them together they take a lot of time and energy. Establishing who does what around the house will save you both frustration and misunderstanding. Some of these tasks might belong to “him” or “her” because of time, interest and skill, but try to do as many of these side by side.
Here are some of the most common household chores:
Keeping the house clean, cleaning bathrooms, doing dishes, doing laundry, ironing, dusting, grocery shopping, maintaining the yard, making repairs, packing for vacations, planning meals, preparing meals, purchasing gifts, taking out the garbage etc. I am sure you can add to the list according to your household functions.
When you do these tasks separately, make sure you don’t take your spouse for granted. Express appreciation, especially if it is a chore that is difficult, time consuming or something they don’t enjoy. When your partner do any household chore, no matter how small, it makes our life easier. It is an act of love and commitment. Recognize it as such and communicate how much you appreciate their work and willingness to do these chores.
In the new week I will discuss the very serious area of practical togetherness of parenting. This will be done in a few posts.
Source: Blueprints for a solid marriage, Dr. Steve Stephens
Images: freepik.com
Thank you for reading, be blessed, be together!
