THE INIMITABLE STYLE OF GLORIA MIZZI - MaltaRightNow.com

| ISSUES |
possessions, we’ve got to try different tactics to the
confrontational approach based on opposing poles of
household standards. Women apparently are their own
worst enemies as they believe they can make spouses
and partners change to run things to their standards.
What we should be doing is saying, “we will never fully
understand each other, and that’s OK.” Women also
need to use their much-heralded ability for practicality
and planning to get other household members – and
I include kids here too - to take responsibility for a
defined, achievable set of housework jobs; importantly,
ones that they can fulfil to their standards.
The mantra to remember is ‘live as a family and
clean as a family’. Do get everyone on board and from
an early age so at least the next generations will have
cracked how to do 21 st century housework without the
strife. And yes ladies, but not to the average man’s
standards. If you want to be a domestic goddess, you’ll
have to get off your pedestal sometimes and get real.
That, it seems, is how we can all start to feel good about
the housework! .
Women also need
to use their muchheralded
ability for
practicality and
planning to get other
household members
– and I include kids
here too - to take
responsibility for a
defined, achievable
set of housework
jobs; importantly,
ones that they
can fulfil to their
standards.
Everyone has a different view of what
constitutes household clutter, chaos,
mess or dirt.
rather quaintly as ‘having a maid’. But put the hard
slog of washing hard floors aside, and there are still
a lot of daily domestic chores to do that maids aren’t
there for or won’t tackle. So where do we go from here
Tackling the problem by negotiating a compass-like
division of labour in the modern home of a doubleincome
couple is rarely the solution although it might
be paid lip-service. The reason is that the problem lies
in a ‘never the twain shall meet’ issue of standards.
Everyone has a different view of what constitutes
household clutter, chaos, mess or dirt. Let’s give some
examples of the likely refrains one might hear…
Why do the washing till it’s overflowing the basket
Why wash up if there are clean dishes around to use
Why clean the fridge if it’s working fine Why cover
food in the fridge Why ever empty a rubbish bin if it’s
not jam packed Why change the bed (Like towels
and loos, sheets rarely ever need attention). Bacterial
spores, dust mites and ants (I can’t see them; and
ants aren’t attracted to dirt anyway.)
If one person’s heap is another’s pile of treasured
L&S | SEPTEMBER ’06 17