When Chris and I were first married, we took a marriage class at BYU. I remember having a discussion about chores and splitting up the chores to maintaining a house. I recall the professor talking about distinct responsibilities that seem to be inherently male and female; taking out the trash, washing dishes, doing laundry, etc. You get the idea.
Well, now I've grown up and we have some interesting division of labor around here. I've tried to maintain the mantra: If I can physically do it, I will. This has led to my adventures in mowing the lawn, weeding, hanging up wall decor with a drill too big for my hand, climbing ladders and scooping up dog poop.
Now when it comes to snow removal our views are quite different. You see, I married a country boy that grew up in the sticks. The problem with sticks is that they don't shovel very well, not like smooth concrete. So the "Mars" perspective is to only clear the snow when it is hindering the evacuation of a vehicle....which usually translates into a foot or more. The other "Mars" view seems to be to pack the snow down and make it slick and near impossible to remove from the driveway not to mention ascend our inclined driveway to park the vehicle in the garage.
IF the drive gets shoveled, it is this "Venus" who does it most of the time. It's a little embarrassing to be the one out there with all the other men shoveling out their wives. I prefer to get out there before dawn so my wonderful MARS doesn't have a chance to pack it down with his 2 ton vehicle (OK, so it's not that big). I like a clean drive-way. I like to have my walkway free of ice and snow so solicitors won't sue me for slipping around the corner to sell me something I didn't want in the first place or have my neighbors bring me warm treats.
So here's this "Venus" Christmas wish: Shovel the drive and walkway. Just because I am physically capable of doing it doesn't mean I'm the only one who can do it. Tap into your chivalrous soul and just make your "Venus" happy with a nice clean driveway.
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6 comments:
Shoveling snow is a beast of a job. Good luck getting him to do it. Bribery works well sometimes.
Get him an ATV with a snowplow blade and I'm sure he'll do it more often. I love snow removal. It all has to do with having the right tool for the job.
I actually really enjoy shovelling the snow. Call me crazy. Last night I quickly jumped up after FHE and went out ALONE and did it. I refused to let anyone else out with me. Maybe that's why I like it.
In our neck of the 'hood, there are quite a few women doing the shoveling. I like doing it; Dave doesn't want me to while I'm pregnant. But he can't stop me while he's at work!
All I have to say is that I gave in and took out the trash...I hope you can stand your ground better than me!
I hear ya, Venus. I usually don't mind shoveling, however, I'm a little inhibited by my giant 8-month pregnant body at this time. You would think that my hubby would get the clue that I don't want to go down the driveway on my rear-end, but alas, our driveway has yet to be shoveled this year. Maybe by 2010 . . .
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