A Good Husband Makes A Good Wife

In a warm family scene, husband, wife and children are gathering around  dining table. A familiarity atmosphere burst onto the scene; as interesting tête-à-tête between husband and wife interspersed eating, as children try sometimes to take part in conversation, willingly suggesting some ideas that may enriching the gathering.

It seems to a large extent a familiar scene in our daily live. At that point eating time ends up, the spouse rise up to wash dishes, but the husband notice she complains from a backache.  So he offers to replace her in washing the dishes, pots, pans and other utensils; yet she is somehow embarrassed, but the matter is settled by the man’s persistency to do the job.

The man begin thinking  after he has finished to help the wife wondering “why do I not do this chore whenever circumstances allowed me to do that?

As bad news travel fast, they reach the husband’s friend ears, who descending from Ossified Mind School begins to give the husband lessons filled with sermons which do not feed hungry mouths. “You are the house master, and your wife must serve you, after eating dinner, you have only to sit on the couch waiting for the arrival of a cup of coffee or tea.  You are a crowned king at home, the wife should only devote herself to serve you and not vice versa.”

Those ludicrous words and sermons go in one ear and out the other, as the husband is a refined man believing in equality in both suffering and affluence. On the other hand it may leave a backlash if he is one of  those edgy men who take hasty decisions before attentively considering to embark in its execution.

News may also broke to the husband’s mother, turning  their whole world upside down, accusing the wife of abusing her son, who suddenly becomes very dear to her heart and his ‘mission” in the kitchen turn out to be a flaw which  the mother does not accept and a disgrace to her son she violently refuses …even if it is a fleeting matter! !

Thus in hardly any days, those who have the weird hobby yet the utmost dreadful one namely making mountains out of molehills,  began exaggerating that minor issue importance to make a major one out of it.

O dear friend,  who wants to sow discord on purpose or not, by giving an inappropriate advice, we tell you where is the problem when men do domestic chores?

Thou mother,  who worries on her son’s masculinity, fearing that the news would be gossip material to set tongues wagging, we tell you where is the problem when your son helps his wife in household tasks ? !

The wife is fagging  day and night to keep house, where husband and children demands are never-ending.  Furthermore, she is in many cases a working woman, having to wake up since early morning hours as she get ready to start up a new work day, which may be more arduous than the husband’s work.

Married life, is mutual aid, partnership and cooperation. Oh husband I pay you tribute with all my heart and soul, you who do not skimp on helping your spouse wherever chance is given. O wife, I salute you as well, you who consumes her body to keep the home fires burning, since men make houses and women make homes. To end with, a good husband makes a good wife.

Firas Taleb

Edited & Translated by: Lama Al-Hassanieh