How to Be a Male Housewife
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Usually housewives are females in married or cohabiting couples. Modern time has seen an increase in number of male housewives; that is, men who agree to stay at home and do the job of house keeping. If you are one of the newly crew in this role, then the following "How to" could be a kick start.
Steps
- Remember, "A woman's work is never done!"
- Accept that you have agreed to follow all the rules and commitments that a female housewife is bound to.
- Accept that you do not chip-chop between roles when the female type of house-keeping work is involved.
- Note that boys are not socialised at the time of the intense learning period of their childhood, as much as girls scrutinize their mothers' roles, to make themselves ready for such a job and you are going to have a tough time during the first six months of your house-keeping learning curve.
- Note that in most cases, even inside a male house-keeping household, men are physically stronger and are expected to accomplish the extra duty of handling the physically demanding and heavy domestic jobs, such as replacing tyres or breaking logs, in addition to their house keeping job.
- You are only swapping your out of the house job with inside the house job.
- This is not unfair since in households that both couple work outside, females most of the time do the additional female job of house keeping.
- Plan. Have a nice small clipboard with paper and a pen attached to. Before going to bed take the clipboard and write down things that you should do tomorrow.
- Wake up before others in the house. Prepare breakfast according to tradition and diet of your household.
- Feed your pets (dog, and cat). Clean the cat litter.
- You might have to wake up even earlier if you need to take a dog out.
- Avoid doing anything before end of breakfast. You should not have any other job at this time. You should have done other works the day before or you should do them after your family have their breakfast and have left the eating area of your home (kitchen, dinning room or lounge).
- Celebrate if everybody leaves the house. If you are a couple without children or children will be lifted to school by your wife or school bus or on their own, it is time to relax have a cup of coffee or tea or just deliberate the day.
- Start from the kitchen. You might have to hand wash breakfast plates, cups and cutleries or put them in the dishwasher machine. Put unconsumed breakfast items back into the cupboards and fridge. Towel dinning table and kitchen work-tops.
- Continue at bedrooms. Tidy up the beds. Collect scattered items on the floors. Put them in their right places.
- Do not throw away any piece of paper if you have school going children or if your wife brings paperwork to home until they fully acknowledge it.
- Collect laundries. You should train yourself for differentiating coloured items that should be washed separately.
- You should recognise delicate items, especially those belong to females in your home to arrange for special washing materials, temperature, care, starching, or dry cleaning and steam ironing.
- You should recognise items that have springs or need to remove an inner part of them before washing.
- Check all the pockets before washing any item.
- You should know how to dry your washing using a tumble dryer, extractor, or outdoor line and sometimes on the radiators.
- If you have birds or fish this is the time for cleaning their places and feeding them.
- Look at your planner to find out for the priorities.
- For example, calling a plumber, an electrician, a gardner, a roof repair man. These are critical things that should be handled at the first occasion.
- Prepare dinner. A male housewife who has not had by some chance cooking training should follow recipes for a period of time. All ingredients should be carefully measured.
- Measurement includes knowing weight of salt, pepper, lemon juice, chilli powder and similar critical items. You should know what is a pinch of salt, a bit of seasoning quantitatively.
- You should measure the preparation time and the cooking time of each food you prepare and write them down in your notebook. This is due to the fact that your household expect dinner to be on the table at a certain desired time.
- Celebrate if you are a young couple without children or if your children comeback without needing you to collect them or if they have left and living independently. It is the time for another cup of coffee or tea.
- If you are to collect children or have to give a lift back to your wife from her work place or train station, you should be dressed clean and presentable.
- Best thing is to sleep for a controlled time. Depending on your previous night could be as long as an hour.
- Avoid any alcohol, even beer, and if you are used to them postpone it until late night.
- Avoid engaging yourself in computer, reading newspaper, watching TV sports show and similar activities while you have not passed the first difficult six months.
- Pamper yourself. Shave and take a shower. You have not time to shave or shower (if you are used to) early morning. Wear some aftershave or perfume.
- Set the dinner table. Make the kitchen worktop clear of unwanted items and put safety gridboard on the worktops ready to put hot foods from oven or from over the fire and cooking hub on them.
- Do not forget safety gloves until becoming used to them.
- Try to be smart at the dinning table. That prevents the younger children become hurt of your status. They should appreciate the dignity of your role.
- Do after dinner jobs. Clean the dinning area. Wash and dry the cooking pots and pans and put things in the dishwasher.
- Join the family for the after dinner rest. Be careful not to make you drunk.
- Be ready for tomorrow. An hour before going to bed organise yourself.
- Make hot water bottles ready, if necessary.
- Be sure that the oven and cooking hub are turned off
- Empty the dishwasher.
- If you are doing laundry during off-peak, mid-night hours, adjust their timer clocks.
- Make necessary items ready for the next day breakfast.
- Clean the cat litter and take the dog out. Feed them.
- Feed cage birds and fish.
- Put the rubbish bin bag out.
- Check windows, front door, and back/kitchen doors to be locked; security (if any) is on.
- Set the breakfast table for tomorrow. Put all the necessary breakfast utensils and tableware and other things which are possible like cereals on the table.
- Prepare the lunch pack of outgoing people for them for the next day.
Important Switch
- Be aware that modern male housewives might reach such a decision due to the fact that their wives might have a higher salary and it is better for the economy of the household if the man stays at home for caring of children before they start the school. A calculation of expenses of child minders and baby sitters and creches and nurseries and emotional side effects of these facilities could make it more prudent for the man to take care of the newborns.
- Make your mind that you should accept such a role with all dedication of a mother. In addition to all other jobs of the house you have to feed babies and toddlers, clean them, play with them, taking them to fresh air and play grounds; to be patient with them and taking them to day clinics for routin checks and vaccination. You might have to wake up during the night if you need your wife to rest for her next day job.
Wake up
- Know that, so far, you have only partially done some daily chores of a housewife. So climb your learning ladder now.
- Know that strongholds of your enemies as a housewife are unattended cellars, lofts, sheds, walk-in wardrobes, utility rooms and larders. On a planned coordinated scheme attack to these places one by one from the most deserted of them. Pile up whatever you find of no use, nasty, or broken. Ask the family members which are really dear for them to be kept. Decide which are of really antique and collectibles values and which are good to be sold on online auction sites or carboot sales and garage sale and which should be just put in the bin and skips. A successful housewife cannot follow a hoarder's habit.
- Clean the conquered places. Usable lofts need some proper boarding and maintenance. Sheds should be waterproof and sealed againsts insects and rodents. Cellars need to be dampproof and sport a neutral bright colour. These places could be more useful if properly shelved and maintained. Do not hesitate using labels and stickers and check marking clipboard to keep the organisation of your house in a clock working condition.
- Take your planner and schedule for routine vacuum and mopping and for weekly dusting, monthly cleaning, season deep cleaning, and yearly overhaul.
- Kitchen and bathrooms should constantly be kept clean.
- On a daily basis check for blown bulbs, dripping taps, non-functioning toilet flushes, lock of the doors, glass of the windows.
- Reach your goal. Your goal is to keep the house as pleasing as before for your family and be able to go back to your computer, to your newspaper, to watching TV sports. With an aggressive plan you are the husband with his usual habits and an enjoying hobby as a male housewife.
- Do not worry. Since your wife has her helping hand in coaching you and in helping you in handling many unfinished jobs, but be careful not to make yourself redundant.
- Do not worry. If you are surprised that your house is always nicely kept and you and children are clean, cared and well fed, but your wife is always talking with her mother and roaming in the malls, having coffee with her school friends; the secret is in her scheduled, all the time maintained work that now you are experiencing as a male housewife.
