I am a very fortunate person. I recognize this and reflect on it every now and then, but I’m especially fortunate in my married life. I happen to be one of those ladies who is married to a true partner. I have a few friends whose husbands complain about the state of the house when they return from work, or who have to remind their farmer husbands that “tractors don’t come up to you and interrupt lunch or bug you while you’re in the bathroom…so back off”.

No. My husband pretty much gets it. He knows that when he comes home from work on some days, the house is going to be a wreck, our child will be naked, and I will look like I’ve attempted to pull my hair out while still wearing last nights’ stained pajamas. He sometimes knows that that means that I need him to immediately take over so that I can decompress…but sometimes I have to gently remind him of that fact. My husband gets that I’m not super woman, and that he has a hard time making coffee with our little girl at his feet, so he thinks I’m pretty awesome for getting together 4 eating events (breakfast, lunch, and snacks), keeping the house from falling down, and getting any kind of work done while he is away.

In addition to getting my position in life, he also takes it upon himself to do a large share of household duties. We pretty much share the laundry, but there are times when I do more or he does more. He does almost all of the dishes. I do almost all of the cooking (and we’re all very happy about that). I do almost all actual house cleaning, because I’ve faced the fact that he wouldn’t notice a dirty toilet if it was sitting next to him in the car. However, he is very good at tidying up and does it often. He does almost all outdoor chores, except when it comes to gardening. So I would say it’s pretty even.

We are both tired at the end of the day, and it helps that we really share in our responsibilities. Except for times like these when everything goes haywire. So we did actually end up closing on our house on Wednesday afternoon. It was such a relief that it was all done. Then, the panic set in. I received a new, larger than usual, freelance job this past weekend, and I’m working under a deadline. I’m definitely not complaining about this, but good lord did it have to be this week? In addition, we’ve had all the added stress of the closing. And then today after working two days straight on the new house, my husband came home not feeling well.

It’s so hard to keep a household, or business, or anything running when your partner is down for the count. I’m trying to have a sense of humor about the whole thing and just remind myself that I can only do what I can do. If the dishes go a bit longer than normal so be it, if I have to call in reinforcements and ask my sister to babysit, that’s okay too. I just hope so hard that he feels better tomorrow. I care about his wellbeing and all, but man-oh-man I also just need him at 100% (or close).

What do you do when one parent is sick?