Let’s face it, nobody likes scraping away at left-over grease from food or leaning forward to pull down a cobweb. We’d rather be on the beach than fold, iron or do any other chores. After all, stress does not fit anybody. (Although some people find chores to be therapeutic but they are so not in the majority.)
The point is, we do chores because we have to. It is the adult thing to do. But imagine you have a partner who is happy to live their life in clutters or in a mess. *inward scream*. Now, what makes it worse than being with such a partner is if the said partner cannot be bothered to clean up. Sigh. Anyway, just so you don’t feel taken for granted by always cleaning up after your partner, here are a few ways you can encourage your partner to help around the house more.
Express how you feel
We can’t assume everyone thinks like us. This is one major thing I’ve learned from relationships. Your partner may see no reason why they can’t leave their bag and shoes in the living or dining room. After all, they’ll pick them up as they’re going to work the next morning, while the thought of that for you is like a shade of insanity lol. So tell them, communicate how these things make you feel and how you would like them to help around the house and specifically the things you would like them to do more of. Don’t assume people know these things.
Remind them gently and be patient
People generally don’t change overnight. If someone is used to leaving their plates in the sink till the next morning and has been doing that most of their adult life, they won’t just stop because you told them once. You will have to remind them more times than not. And fingers crossed you have a partner who listens and is willing to grow. Your voice of reason will soon get stuck in their heads and they will adjust to this new way of doing things.
Give them room to actually do the work
Most times if you’re the more tidy one, you may not have the patience to wait for your partner to clean up. And you end up just doing it anyway. That may not really work in your favour. If they see you doing it all the time, they may not feel the need to take on that responsibility because hey, you’ll do it. So after you’ve told them what you would like them to do, give them room to actually do it.
Have you ever been in a relationship with someone that wasn’t tidy or used to cleaning up. Or were you the partner in question? How did you both handle it?