Nope. Btw, I don’t think you are cynical and bitter, you just know the score better now than you did when you were younger.
Sure, it doesn’t apply to all men, but it’s too much work parsing them out that it’s not worth it to me anymore. What they think they do and what is fair is rarely accurate. Even ones who actually do take care of themselves to family standards rather than bachelor standards will suddenly take a back seat rather than equally participate when there’s a woman to do it. They cannot handle tandem tasks, they only operate under and understand hierarchy.
To be fair, I have maintained only bachelorette standards myself when not with a live-in partner and my kid does her fair share WITHOUT COMPLAINT and has also been taught from an early age to take care of herself as much as she is able, and to take pride in that.
That’s also part of the grievance against men though, believe it or not. It’s not just them being a man child, which is certainly bad enough, but they disrupt the whole household with their attitude about housework. Few people actually enjoy doing housework. It’s just one of those things that’s got to be done. Kids pick up on male behavior and duplicate it. They’re suddenly making more messes without tidying up behind themselves and whining when they’re asked to do something or pitch in. They suddenly lose all confidence in their ability to make a peanut butter sandwich and pester you to do small tasks for them they are perfectly capable of doing themselves all day long, interrupting you when you’re trying to work. Just like how the lead guy does. And every single one of them thinks they’re the only ones doing it or that it’s not disruptive and that it’s your job to take care of them.
It’s maddening. This phenomenon happens even when it’s not their Dad, and they made themselves a peanut butter sandwich yesterday without problem or complaint yesterday. Such is the male influence, it overrides everything that came before or is established.
So nope. Never again. If I ever accidentally run across one who can and will take care of himself I might reconsider after the kiddo has left the nest. At this point, I’m more inclined to believe that men like that are an urban myth though.
