Lazy husband......

Agree with the importance of teaching boys early to participate in household tasks. My son, now 40, is the cook and general manager in his household and still laughs as he tells people that he was the only 12 year old he knew whose mother gave him a lesson in how to clean a toilet. DIL is rather domestically challenged so do wonder if somehow opposites end up together.

Well where shall i start,my OH doesnt even know how to sort the dishwasher out ,let alone the washing machine.
I,m glad my sons are hands on fathers and help there wives with household chores,my oh is so lazy indoors only does jobs when i ask him.

I could take something from mist of the posts and say snap that sounds just like my husband. He used to leave his jacket over one the chairs in the kitchen diner until one day he had a jacket with a wet sleeve. Our little rescue dog ( the one he wasnt keen on having but soon became his soul mate) had cocked his leg against it. So now jackets are put away. The petrol into a diesel car too. We were staying in a hotel in England and he said he was just going to diesel up. The garage was just the other side of the dual carriage so it wouldnt take long. 30 minutes he's still not back and I eventually get a phone call to say he would be quite a while because he had filled his car with petrol instead of diesel so was at a garage having it drained. £100 later he then filled up with diesel. Three days later we drive to Suffolk to see some of the family. We stop at a garage to fill up again and what do I see a petrol nozzle in his hand instead of the diesel one. I have never jumped out of a car so quickly. I taught him to use the washing machine and he got quite keen on that until I saw him put on a load of only 4 things to be washed. Only five and a half years since the dishwasher was installed he now knows how tp operate that. I just have to do some discreet rearrangement of the dishes to fit everything in.

daisy

Yes to coats draped over chairs and also shoes lined up in the kitchen for Pete's sake!
Take them upstairs!!
No, I'm going out in a minute!
There's four pairs of shoes lined up there!
I know. I like to keep them handy!
aaaagggghhhh

Thank goodness for a utility room - shoes all lined up in there ready for me to fall over.

Loved this post, it made me chuckle as well. I thought you were in my house when you described your husband. Mine is exactly the same. If he cant find something he will open the cupboard and shut it and say its not in there. I go and open the cupboard and I find it. He has to have a list as well on the fridge. If I don't have a list or suggest he does something around the place he is happy to sit there all day and read the paper or watch tv. He loves it. He loves the History channel the best. I even went up to him the other day and said, "you realize that Hitler lost the war don't you" He has watched it all over and over, loves it. He is happy I suppose he deserves to be retired after all those years working and so do I. I am still working part-time, if I didn't I would be up for murder as well. So nice to vent, thanks ladies, looks like we are normal. Very funny posts!

If you treat them like children they will behave like children. Don’t put up with it.

It's called 'the butter in the fridge syndrome' moonbeames

Women never get this affliction.

A while ago I asked DH to bring aubergines when he was fetching some stuff from our local store. I'd seen them a couple of days previously. I suppose I should have known what would happen. He returned and told me they hadn't got any. When I went later that day, they had miraculously reappeared!

On another occasion I'd asked for mangoes and he returned with butternut squash.

I expect I'll learn one day....

Your husband needs a list made say 3 jobs for each of 5 days. 15 in all. Put up a weekly plan on the kitchen notice board and have him tick them off. May be put in his favourite TV programmes so he can work round them.

MesMopTop
Thank you soooo much for the laugh. I was trying to read it all to my OH but couldn't get the words out, tears rolling down my face.
You should write.

My ex needed a map to find the kitchen. Once he cooked a full English (for himself) and the gas was on high for the entire scenario. You can imagine the fat splattering everywhere and of course the live in maid, me, had to clean it up.

So I am not alone! Yes I think men need to be given very clear instructions about chores. And my DH likes me to tell him what is going to happen each day. He would never suggest going out for a meal somewhere.
I think this is why armies are made up of men rather than women as they are more menable to being given orders.

Having worked part time and now been ‘retired’ for 10 years I have been the housekeeper.

Recently retired DH seems totally flummoxed that it’s actually me that has washed, ironed cleaned, cooked shopped etc. He is not enjoying the fact that all these things are now considered by me to be a joint venture.

These posts made me laugh out loud and set me up for the day.Most men must be the same they need a list!
Great to see the funny side!
Thanks MesMopTop.

MesMopTop you've forgotten that you woman him man
now that you know, start again.

I’ve just been watching Last of the Summer Wine. Nora Batty and her cronies, including the Thora Hird character, were discussing their husbands, and it was just like this thread!

Thank you MesMopTop I laughed til I cried - I read this out to my DH - we were both in bits!! Made my day Xx

Thank you all ladies, loved every post. Some excellent ideas there, the list would work best. Probably stick it to the TV screen ? Seriously, he is a lovely man and my rock. He's had stroke which has affected his "wiring" to some extent. My son is exactly the opposite, he was trained well from an early age! DH is brilliant with the iron and does fancy himself as a bit of a cook. He has expressed the desire for one of those massive Aga things. You could cook for Africa on those things. I shall die a death of drowning in soup! (His speciality). He can make several varieties but with an Aga he could, and probably would, go flat out and make the lot! We are lucky, we have each other and are thankful for that. I am equally thankful that we do not have a gas cooker or fire. Have a wonderful day ladies, we are now off to the shops. (Different time zone as we live abroad) ???? for you all c

My husband has to be told what jobs need doing as I work and apart from a Sunday roast can never plan a meal .His mother brought him up to do nothing in the house just treated all 3men like little boys while she fan ragged around them .

My husband works under instructions sometimes.
The one thing I insist he does each year is arrange the road tax, insurance and service for the cars.
I remember one year I was driving around for about 6 weeks with the old road tax on the car.
I still have to remind him even now but still insist he takes responsibility for it otherwise that would be another job I would have to do.
He drives me crazy as he is so lay back.

I reckon a lot of it is down to their mothers. Or circumstances. Or personalities.
Mothers. If they don’t train their sons to help around the house, it is not going to suddenly happen later on.
Circumstances. My DH was a single dad for a while so had to get on with it.He still does more than most, but under his own terms. Lists work!
Personalities. My son is OCD about putting his clothes away, exactly in a specific order. He is the best cook I know, really well organised, highly competent. I don’t take credit for this, it is his nature. Grandson no 2, aged 10, my daughter’s son will make someone a fantastic husband. He likes to tidy up. He takes on responsibilities gladly. He is sensitive to his mum’s needs and looks after her.

Having said all that I could still have quite a rant about some of them from time to time!

It's the hunter gatherer thing. Women: gatherer. She comes into a room and sees the dog mess on the floor and the cobwebs on the ceiling, the missing jigsaw piece under the settee and Deals With It. Man: hunter. Comes into room and sees settee and sits on it. Only sees things that are moving or are in the centre of their line of sight. (hence the butter in the fridge phenomenon)

This is not an argument in their favour, definitely not. Have had a good laugh at all your descriptions.

Lunch was interested in seeing how many of you recommend written lists.
DH and I had a long discussion , now that he has retired