housewife

I have been a housewife for over three months. This has been the longest time that I have experienced being a housewife. I’ve discovered that this job is more difficult than I had ever imagined. I believe that housewives are overworked and underpaid. Watching Oprah on television, a few days ago, she mentioned that working around the house was rated as one of the unhappiest jobs. It’s no wonder!

To be a good housewife (househusband), you have to take on the roles of president, manager, accountant, cleaner, cook, teacher and so on. This job encompasses far more than acting as a sole proprietor without income. Generally speaking, at a workplace, the department head determines the mission / goal. So, the worker tries to achieve the goal by working hard for 8 hours and receiving pay for the effort. Later, the worker may go out drinking or socializing afterwards to release any stress.

On the other hand, housewives’ (husbands’) roles are not that simple. They have to make a goal and create their own mission statement. The spouse and kids tend to ignore any goals set forth by the housewife. Being the housewife, you cannot give up on your spouse or the kids. You have to strive to make your family as comfortable and happy as you possibly can. In the meantime, you have a million things that must be done in order to accomplish that goal. You can never say, “Let’s forget about everything”. When you go shopping, you have to closely look at the budget. There are so many varieties of frozen food in the supermarket for a reason…so that you can be as lazy as you want by giving frozen food to your children and spouse. Sure, it may be cheaper and faster to prepare food this way, but in the long run, you are slowly destroying their health over the years. Even for only my husband and myself, our favorite foods are so different. After I cook for my husband, I don’t feel like enjoying my food, but to be sociable and healthy, I join him at the table. If I hear any criticizing about my cooking, I feel like throwing the dishes at the wall. If you are working for a company and your boss complains about the job you are doing, you can turn any criticisms into something positive by saying, “Okay, I can do that, as long as I get paid”. What are the rewards for a housewife? I wish all spouses and kids would appreciate the daily struggles of a housewife.

The most difficult challenge about being a housewife, for me, is managing my time. I can easily become lazy. I could go out to lunch with friends and before I realize it, I find that the day has slipped away and I didn’t get anything done. All of my plans were thrown out the window. I have a few friends, who are housewives, and they have gained my utmost respect ever since I stepped into their shoes. They accomplish so much for very little recognition. If they can do this, they should be able to make a damn good worker at any company. I hope their spouses appreciate them.

Erika