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Gender Role Casserole
Serves 1 resentful mom

1 adult female, probably you
1 adult male, presumably your husband
Children, as planned or who just happened
Hard-boiled egg wedges and sliced olives for garnish

Combine yourself with your husband. When you are fresh from the altar, swear you'll never fall into stereotypical gender roles. Allow yourselves to marinate until you've spawned some children.

Perform the following functions: boo-boo kissing, tummy ache rubbing, temperature taking, nose wiping, all school-related stuff (field trip chaperoning, teacher conference going, lunch making or lunch money giving, homework supervising, bake sale baking, etc.), car pool organizing, play date arranging, playground going, appointment making (doctors, dentists, haircuts, music lessons, etc.), meal planning, food and clothing shopping, social organizing, form filling, summer camp arranging, laundry doing, bed making, snack preparing, party giving and going, gift buying, and on and on until you're ready to puke.

Observe your husband at the following: spending increasing amounts of time at work and/or work-related travel, becoming inordinately interested in sports or the Internet, performing occasional minor house repairs, emptying the garbage, and taking sporadic care of the children.

Complain that said husband promised to be an equal partner in domestic duties, upon which he patronizingly explains that since he is earning more money, you should logically take on most of the household and child-care duties. Wonder how you turned into your mother (or grandmother, if your mother was part of feminist movement). Arrange eggs and olives over the top.

Copyright © 2009 by Nava Atlas