While It Wasn’t Always This Way, The Lockdown Has My Mom Cooking While My Dad Just Sits Around. This Is Annoying

All my life, I have never seen my mother in the house constantly, let alone spending all her time in the kitchen. You see, even though we grew up in a society that deemed men as the sole breadwinners, my family worked a little differently. My mother began working when I was merely 6 months old and not because we needed the money but because she loved her job. Being a working woman with a child in the 90’s was not as easy as it is now. She received a whole lot of criticism from the family, but she continued anyway and hey, I turned out great (somewhat, but still).

My point is, I haven’t seen gender roles the same way most the people my age have. Which is why, when this lockdown happened,  the dynamics took a drastic turn in my house and it was extremely fascinating. Wait, did I say fascinating? Oh, I meant frustrating.

I would wake up in the morning and my mother would be making my fathers morning tea while he sat on the couch and read the news on his phone. After observing this for a few more days I saw typical gender roles (that were never seen before)making their presence felt.

Here are ways in which this lockdown has brought out the typical gender roles in my house. Check it out, maybe you will be able to relate to me

My Mother Is Doing All The Cooking While All My Father Does Is Gives Recommendations

My mother is a wonderful cook (I think it just runs in the family). But she is also working all the time which means normally the only person you will see in my kitchen is my cook. Now, with this lockdown, I think my father is just making taking full advantage. Which is cute, but I just wish for once he would stop watching the news, get up and make the puran poli he wants to eat so badly. I know she is very happy to do it for him but the least he can do is help out instead of expecting to get everything a platter (literally!). It’s not too much to ask, is it?

Also Read: 5 Thoughts I Have While Going To The Grocery Store. Mostly, It’s Panic And I End Up Forgetting Things On My List

I Am Expected To Leave Work And Help In Household Chores While My Brother Sits Around Playing Video Games

Okay, this one pisses me off. My annoying little brother sits in one corner of the room playing video games all day and no one bothers him with anything.I, on the other hand, have to leave work if my mother needs help with anything. It’s not helping that I mind, it’s the fact that I am expected to, and my brother just isn’t. Like for eg, all he has to do is come to the table, eat and then go back into his room. I have to eat and then clean the table and wash all the vessels. I know this may sound like I am complaining, but how is this fair?

My Father Has To Be Pushed Into Helping Out With The Chores

I find it rather amazing (more like unbelievable) that the men of the house need to be asked to help out with domestic chores. I know gender roles dictate that men washing vessels is taboo or something though clearly whoever wrote those norms never lived in lockdown. My father needs to be pushed to help out with the chores. Even then he will do them at his convenience and leisure time. By then, my mother has already done them, and my father is so nonchalant about this everyday occurrence, it boggles my mind.

Also Read: 5 Ways To Pamper Yourself At Home During This Quarantine

According To My Grandmother, I Should Use This Time To Make My Rotis Round

I am 23 years old and I think that fact might be changing my grandmothers’ priorities. Like any other Indian grandmother, mine too is a walking talking matrimonial site and sometimes she says the funniest things to me. Like just yesterday, I was serving myself dinner and she tells me that I too need to learn how to make sabzi and roti. According to my grandmother, the one thing I should focus on this lockdown is learning basic domestic chores. So, some sort of perfect bahu training. It’s annoying, to say the least, but at the end of the day, girls are supposed to become perfect bahus because that’s what my purpose of life. Anyway, the day she tells my brother he has to undergo groom training (or something to that effect), I will gladly take an effort to ensure my rotis are round.

My Mother Is Running The House While My Dad Sits In His Study And Works, Can It Get Any More Typical?

Just the other day, I came across an article that spoke about how this lockdown is taking us back to our grassroots as a society. The first question that popped into my head was, “do we want to go back?” I see my parents every day amid this lockdown and I have come to understand that these gender roles run on an extremely subconscious level now. I am not saying that we need to give up these roles altogether, that’s not possible mainly because my father (like most Indian men) doesn’t know how to cook. All I am saying is that this picture in front of me needs to be mixed up a little.

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/15-thoughts-i-get-while-i-deal-with-my-good-food-cravings-in-this-lockdown/