Once this tweet was posted, a follower felt the need to tell me about how his mother taught her sons to cook and clean and how men should do this and children should do that and yadda yadda — three whole @s he gave me about how fabulously he’d been raised. Of course, I wished his mother had spent a bit more time teaching him manners, but because my mother did a good job at that, I let it lie and quietly unfollowed him instead of telling him to go @ himself.
The man who wrote those comments has since deleted them.
It really pissed me off. Beneath my crick of anger, there’s an ocean of resentment.
FIRST OF ALL, that dude dunno my life. Twelve people know my life and he ain’t one of em.
Second, it’s a tweet. It’s fewer than 140 characters of a story. A blip into my psyche at any given moment. There are many, many parents who relate to that tweet. It’s not like my family will beat me black and blue if I don’t kitchen.
Third, my kids can make brownies. All four of them can make brownies. Not all four of them can successfully melt chocolate in a double broiler, which is why I’d said I’d bake the brownies to begin with. Have you ever smelled burnt chocolate? Have you cleaned burnt chocolate from a pan? Have you any idea how much baking chocolate costs?
While Sassy and Moo are not candidates for Master Chef Junior, they do cook and bake things.
I don’t know if The Mister can bake brownies. This does not bother me, because I bake awesome brownies, and I truly enjoy baking them more than eating them.
The Mister can cook basic foods. He can sustain life with his kitchen skills.
For a short time, he wanted to learn to cook more, and that was a bad experience for both of us and I do not ask him to prepare edibles and he is glad.
Fourth, my kids can, and do, wash dishes plenty. If you asked Sassy and Moo who does the dishes in the house, they’d climb up on a Fiestaware cross and tell you a sob story of how “I’m literally the only person who ever does dishes.” Both of them would tell you that.
I prefer eating from clean dishes so Sassy does the bulk of the dishes. There are times that I suspect Sadie licking the dishes would get dishes cleaner than when Moo washes them, and woe to anyone who doesn’t inspect their dishes before use, and Moo spends a considerable amount of time redoing dishes, but still, she does dishes.
Sometimes The Mister does dishes. Usually, he does this when we have house guests, so that all the women think he’s a swell guy, but I’d say twice a year or so, he does them when no one’s even lookin.
He does the dishes more than I take out the trash. Last time I took the trash out, there was snow on the ground and I’m not sure it was this last winter…
I take recyclables, but I almost never take out the trash. My husband teases me about how much trash I make and it’s become a joke between us. I’ll say, “Baby! Come look at all this trash I’ve made for you!” and then he’ll either grumble about how I could get a job making trash or he’ll high-five me and say, “Good job, Baby!”
Do you think if The Mister tweeted about how much trash I make and how he’s always taking out the trash, some woman would @ him about how her father taught all his daughters to take out the trash and it’s a real shame his wife and kids don’t do that for him?!?
(Honestly, on Twitter, any @ is possible. Most of the time, the @s don’t even make sense.)
Do you know that when I tell people my husband goes to the store for me, loads and unloads the car for me, etc, etc, etc — virtually anything my husband helps me with — people think I’ve won some sorta prize?
Additionally, if I bring my husband a plate of food or iron his shirts, people think I’m livin in 1956 and declare it sexist.
These things make me sad.
I mean, if it’s all supposed to be so goddamned equal, why does anyone make the whole bed instead of just their side?
I know, I’m a Bad Feminist.
If you’re partnered with someone, they should be doin nice things for you. What, I cannot say. I can tell you that any healthy relationship exists because of care, and care should be a constant. Happily married people are all about the little things.
Happily married people do not sit around measuring out tit for tat, makin tick marks over how many times they’ve changed the toilet paper roll or whatever.
Have you even lived with anyone else?
People are awful to live with. All of us.
I have lived with me for 42 years and it has not been easy. I am moody and bitchy and fault-finding, I hate to be woken up, I need a lot of personal space, my tongue is quick and sharp, and worst of all, I like everything a certain way.
To make up for this, I’m an excellent cook.
I have lived with The Mister for 17 years. He is grumpy and easily angered, and he procrastinates, and he’s always losing things, he doesn’t listen, and worst of all he forgets everything.
To make up for this, he’s charming as fuck.
If you want to be treated like royalty, stay single and hire out.
It is my own personal experience that we all want what we do not have, so I’m sure my husband is wondering why I never get laryngitis, and I am wondering why he doesn’t go get his ears flushed, and you’re all wondering if we see the irony of that situation.
Blah blah blah blah blah.
Huh?
Blah blah blah blah blah.
Huh?
Oh never fucking mind.
Anyway, if you think there’s something wrong with a person who makes dinner, cleans the kitchen, and then bakes brownies, then you are definitely not invited to dinner here and I do not wish you a happy Friday.*
*Certain Restrictions May Apply
Give ’em hell, girl! And while there are lots of things I could/can do, I’m also ok with a division of labor. There’s nothing wrong with “man work.” I’ll cook and do laundry any day over cutting grass.
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*waves hankie* I KNOW IT! Thank you! 😀
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The last thing I would ever @ you about would be child-rearing, cooking, cleaning, garbaging, or bed making. Wtf? Who is @ to be @’ing Joey?
The world is full of folks who need to hear/see themselves speak
I would have said “mmmmm browwwwnieeeeees”
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Thank you! And that’s why I would offer you brownies, Dan 🙂
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Everywhere I look people are actively seeking things to get offended about. I pay them very little attention, and it sounds like you’re the same way. Keep doing you, and don’t let the guy get to you.
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Oh, I was offended. I took a break from Twitter and wrote this and now I feel better. There’s easily offended (I’m not) and then there’s PEOPLE are so FUCKING RUDE and PRESUMPTUOUS! 😛
And thanks 🙂
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I meant what was this guy’s malfunction that he consciously chose to inject himself into something that he has no part of. I will never understand people like that.
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Oh I’m trackin, but I wasn’t done rantin! lol 🙂
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Sometimes I wonder why I bother with Twitter, except it gets me traffic. I’m not really active on it, mostly because I’m convinced people go out there looking for something to be pissed off about.
I’m with Dan… mmmm, brownies…
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😀
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I REALLY needed that laugh. Thank you. Which reminds me I really must blog soon about why it’s not a good idea to blindly follow someone before actually reading their stuff. Oh and thanks for the complimentary beverage btw xx
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The ‘blah, blah, blah…oh never fucking mind’ that’s what did it…
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Haha! You’re welcome. I’ll try to get to it on Sunday 🙂
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Awesome, thank you!
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Yeah, what Joey said. 😉
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Fanks! 😀
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This!
I find that doing something for others in combination of them doing things for you leads to an abundance of happy. And sometimes, they do more for you. And sometimes you do more for them. Unless it is ALWAYS so horribly one-sided, in which case I guess you would want to make a choice of what you want to put up with.
I took your tweet as something funny. No more, no less.
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Yep. All that. Thanks for the confirmation 🙂
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Some people just seem to have an overwhelming need to say something – to make a 140 character comment on someone else’s life. To them I say, shut up and enjoy the brownies!! 🙂
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Mhm!
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I loved this! You go, Joey!!
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Thanks so much! 😀
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Funny stuff. That tweeter was a definite @hole. I agree with your division of labor. I have always done the kitchen chores in my marriages. You are right about living with someone. It sure ain’t for the weak. I especially like the “never fucking mind”. I have said that more than a few times. Enjoy your brownies.
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LMAO @hole! LOL!
Thanks! Thinkin about makin brownies this weekend… 🙂
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Your tweet: hilarious and I can relate. This post: well said and thumbs up. Twitter can be great, but it also reminds me why I generally enjoy animals more than people.
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I understand, Maisy, thank you 🙂
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Joey, you are too funny. The only thing I can add is now I am hungry for a dark chocolate brownie. Chocolate. Brownie. Mmmmmm. @thanksaloti’mtryingtostayawayfromsugar
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Thanks 🙂
Life’s too short to give up brownies 😀
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This is the 2nd rant I’ve read this morning because someone felt the need to dump all kinds of self-important shit all over someone else.
The fact he later removed his comment suggests that he likely realized his brain fart and hopefully was embarrassed by it.
You just gave me another reason to avoid Twitter.
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That’s unfortunate.
Twitter is definitely not for everyone, but usually I go there for laughs. Lots of laughs.
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AMEN. 🙂 I love blogging and my blogging friends. When I read this post, I can relate it back to others and although I’m definitely not one of the 12 I can understand where you are coming from. I feel comfortable commenting, and I look forward to exchanging thoughts with you and all those other special people like Dan. But, FB and T not so much. If I’m in the neighborhood, I’ll call first, pick up the cold or hot beverages and bring the brownies. The conversation would be well worth it. 🙂
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That’s very kind 🙂
Thank you.
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Ah!! Some people need to lighten up and just see the humor in things… Why make a social issue out of every comment!
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I was just wasting some time reading comments about a Halloween craft project. You know…you must have too much time on your hands to do that….you are a bad mom….I’m too busy…that craft is ugly. Why do people feel the need to say something negative? I suppose they feel better?
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Too much time on my hands is something often said to me, too. I get irritated, thinking I like to be busy. Time is like money, not anyone’s else’s business how you spend it. And yes, there are those who tear people down to feel better, but I don’t know how effective it is.
Brownie?
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😀
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I love people who think they know you, and how your family should run. People need to just shut their yaps and move on with dissecting their own lives. On the bright side, if they weren’t such butt weasels, it would make us have to think up crap to write all by ourselves.
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I do appreciate writing a good rant now and again, good point, Stacey!
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People take shit too seriously. If that guy hadn’t happened along, then Miss “How dare you complain about providing for the miracle that is your family! You should be ashamed of yourself for not having had the brownies prepared beforehand!” definitely would’ve stopped by.
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Haha, fair point. You know those people are out there!
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wtf! All I can say is I saw that tweet and almost died laughing. It is SO MY LIFE. And even if it ISN’T someone’s life, how on earth can’t they see the funny in this?? Because honestly, if you can’t laugh about the crazy then you really are gonna miss most of the funny in life….
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Truly. Wise words, Laura 🙂
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Well said. That reader needs to lighten up or maybe just get a sense of humor.
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