Not -So Desperate Housewives

Nobody aspires to be a housewife. It is circumstances that force us to be one. All I ask is for a little respect please. We are the unpaid, unsung, heroes  and probably even the crux of the world. To add more fuel to fire are scores of women I meet who when questioned about what they do tell me they do nothing and live off their husbands’ money. Here’s my version of the truth about housewives.

1. Comfortable life??-The word housewife conjures up an image of me sitting in a plush room with servants at my beck and call. Hell no, I cook, clean and repeat that several times a day. Besides in regular homes the kitchen’s not air-conditioned that means I literally sweat it out while rolling those chapatis for my family.

2. We are desperate (sexually??)- Across the internet one finds cheating housewives, lonely housewives, where’s the time to be lonely with so much work?Sorry to spoil your fantasy. The only time most housewives would allow a guy into their bedroom would be to clean, fold clothes (see there on the bed) or paint the room.

3. Work from home- Some of us are bloggers, home bakers, home chefs, content writers, photographers and even tele-callers. This means double whammy. Most days I’m stirring the pot intermittently while finishing up my work and that’s something I do once the kids are off to bed and I have cleared the kitchen.

4.The maid does everything??- How often we hear this! She can and some do keep full time maids but in my stint as an army wife I realized that was more of a hassle. Add to that other possibly undesirable consequences . Infact if men think it’s so easy- how about supervising the maids on weekends and finding out the truth for yourself?

5. We are the planners of the house-Hubby’s office timing, daughter’s dance recital, son’s karate class it’s me who has to remember and keep a track of it. Then there are those who also double up as chauffeurs(Y not since we do nothing, anyway).

6.No holidays- Infact while the men refuse to get their asses off the couch on weekends, the housewife has to work extra time to feed the larger one along with the regular kids. This also entails the abhorred ritual of clearing up weekend mess every Monday morning.

7. No promotion or growth- There’s no pay, no promotions to look out for at all.

8. Empty future- The kids are going to grow up and move out, hubby’s only getting busier by the day. Hence it’s very important for every one of us to develop hobbies or atleast participate in some social/volunteering activities before it gets too late.

9.Undesired socializing- Whenever guests come home, whether we like them or not we are the ones stuck with them since there’s nowhere to go. That means forced conversations, taking them for sightseeing(Kingdom of dreams again???? ) or shopping, in-short 3^rd degree torture.

10.Confined to the house- There are days when I don’t get to step out of the house,it used to happen very often and the result was unhealthy. In fact these days I make it a point to go out, even if it’s just for a run.

11.Restricted friend circle-I’ve reached a stage where I’m simply tired of making new friends . With us moving so often this is a huge minus .Socialising with fellow moms turns out to be more stressful because of conflicting schedules.

A housewife at home is the co-driver, co-pilot and the other wheel that aids in smooth functioning of a family. All that I endure is completely worth it when I see my children’s faces light up because of my presence because in my opinion there’s no quality/ quantity time differentiation. Also this gives me an opportunity to pursue my dreams , but there’s no way housewives are chilling at home!.