Chip Chick
If you’re a parent to a young child, you know how easy it is to make yourself feel guilty for going away on a trip without your kid or just taking some time to yourself in general.
One woman is upset after her husband told her she should stay home from a well-deserved work trip because, as a mother, her primary concerns should be taking care of their daughter and their home.
She’s 35-years-old, and her husband, Ed, is 40. When she married Ed 10 years ago, he was already established in his career and owned a home. She wanted to be just as successful as him, and by the time she was 30, she had become quite the career woman herself. They both worked and made enough money to support themselves, so they split their household duties and bills 50/50.
A few years ago, her family put a lot of pressure on her to get pregnant and start a family, so they did. After having their daughter, she spent six months on maternity leave from work, taking care of the house and the baby.
“After the six months were up, I wanted to go back to work,” she explained.
“My husband suggested I stay home with the baby until she turned two. I didn’t want to take a break from my career, but the fact was, he out-earned me, and [the] logical solution was he would support both of us. But then, COVID happened [and] we couldn’t send her to daycare.”
So, against her wishes, she lived like a stay-at-home mom for two more years while Ed worked remotely during the pandemic. She did her best not to complain, as Ed worked hard as their family’s sole earner during that time.
Finally, she got a new job last year and went back to work. She and Ed sent their daughter to daycare during the day, and she became very committed to her work. However, once she started working again, she’d sometimes take on long hours, which meant Ed had to start pitching in with the household duties more often.
“Maybe it was the break he got for four years, but [my] hubby seemed to get depressed and agitated at having to do chores,” she said.
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