TV: Old Favourites

[DanaC]

Ha! Yes. There's a lot of truth to that I think.

I was pretty lucky in a lot of ways. Aside from a couple of years when martin was little, and then again when I was little, mum always worked - part time jobs initially, then she went into nursing when I was about 5 years old. She was an excellent cook though and so was Dad. Both me and my brother were taught to cook from a very young age. Much of it I then forgot ;p and retaught myself as an adult. Martin still is a superb cook. He does most of his family's cooking - though Jen's no slouch either.

I never quite learned a lot of the basics of house keeping. The whole dust allergy thing and sensitivity to various detergents got in the way somewhat. Have had to learn on the hoof as a grown upand will never be a natural housekeeper.

But both my brother and I were expected to contribute to keeping the house tidy and shipshape and Dad, bless him, when he wasn't creating the mess did his best to show willing on washing up and stuff. Mum was the main housekeeper, but there was never a sense that it was 'her' job alone. And when she was nursing Dad stepped in as main carer and cook for weeks at a time.

When I think of how many of my friends at the time were growing up in homes where men and boys were not expected to do housework or cooking, and where that stuff was automatically assumed to be the job of mum and the girls, we were really lucky. Martin grew up capable and competent in ways many of his friends just weren't. And I grew up without feeling like I should automatically be a man's housekeeper.