Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Di

Does your spouse/partner (or do you) help with the household chores?

We are fortunate enough to have help in the garden and the house every Saturday but of course, there are daily chores to be done. I do most of the cleaning in the house. My husband is not averse to helping. He often cooks and likes to tidy up too. He also does all the outdoor stuff. Years ago we did a little quiz we found in a book which was titled, “101 Things to do to make your partner happy.” I can’t remember the exact title or the author but there was a section for the wife to answer and a section for the husband to answer. Well, we tested each other and the scores were exactly even! So I guess we have an equal relationship.

My philosophy is this – If something needs to be done either do it yourself without complaint or ask your partner to do it. I drop everything to do something for my husband and he drops everything to do for me if we ask each other nicely.

What is your least favourite chore

I don’t really have a least favourite. All chores are boring so I put in earphones and listen to an audiobook or podcast while doing them. I can’t just sit still and listen. My hands have to be occupied or I have to go for a walk.

As a kid, did you have to do chores to earn your pocket money/allowance?

Not really. I did some chores and was responsible for keeping my room tidy. I also had a much younger sibling whom I helped look after but that was more fun than work.

When we were helping our daughter raise her two little boys, they had regular chores – not for money but to instil in them that when families live together everybody needs to help. They were very good at doing their chores. One day while I was chatting with a visitor in our open-plan lounge/dining room, our youngest appeared and started to set the table. She was amazed. “Who asked him to do that?” she asked.

“Nobody. It’s one of his regular chores and he doesn’t need to be reminded,” I answered, proud as punch of the little chap! I certainly was not as helpful as he was when I was a kid.

The boys also shared a paper round. They alternated the days and when one had a sports match or for another reason was not able to do his round the other covered for him. This is what gave them their pocket money.

Did you save any of your pocket money or spend it all?

I did not get very much pocket money. It covered a monthy magazine and a few chocolate bars when I was at school. As a college student, I got less than anybody else I knew so had very few treats but I survived as all essential expenses were covered by my bursary.

Gratitude:
Sometimes we take so much for granted