For all my book learnin' and "modern thinking," I'm still terribly old-fashioned when it comes to certain aspects of relationships. I fully believe that both men and women have roles in the relationship. Now, before the hate mail comes, allow me to explain a bit.
I fully believe that a man should help take care of the house. It's part of his living space too. I changed diapers, always did my own laundry, did dishes, and vacuumed. I'll admit that I didn't do much of the cooking, but my ex was a huge foodie, and enjoyed cooking. I left a lot of that up to her...but I was expected to take care of myself if she wasn't there or was too busy. She also did the majority of the grocery shopping, because if I went, I got pretty much what I wanted (and didn't use coupons.) That left us with a lot of food that she didn't want, and me eating more at the 'unhealthy' end of the spectrum. Occasionally, she'd give me a list of stuff to get, and I'd go.
When it comes to 'taking care of business', though, that's the man's job. Every relationship is different, obviously, but I always felt it was the man's job to provide for the bills. My ex had bills that she paid for herself, like her credit cards, but I paid all the utilities, the house payment, and most of the joint expenses. It's my job to pick up the tab when we go out to eat, to buy the movie tickets, etc. When we go somewhere, I'm the one that's most likely to drive. It's not that I won't ride (gives me time to play on my phone!), but it's my JOB to drive. It's my responsibility to take care of my 'family', and that means getting them to wherever we're going safely.
I've always understood the dream of being a kept man. Sure, it would be great if I was taken care of by some rich woman so I could stay at home and goof off all day. But my pride wouldn't allow it...I'd have to get a job and contribute, even if I wasn't the primary wage earner. I get really upset when I see so many women nowadays taking care of their men...not to get back on my 'douchebag' rant, but good Lord, man, have some fucking pride!
Maybe this makes me a neanderthal, and out of touch. I don't believe that women are subservient to men, not in the least. I am perfectly aware that most women today are more than capable of taking care of themselves, and believe me, I expect her to. But it's also MY job to take care of her. I could be wrong, but deep down, I think most women still feel that way, too. The idea is to take care of each other in a working partnership for the mutual beneficence of both parties. If you're not providing for and taking care of each other, then really, what's the use of being in a partnership at all?
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