A Validated Lesson Taught

There are things around our house that are designated things that I do and designated things that my husband does. Generally speaking, we have a “he handles the outside, I handle the inside” agreement with a few exceptions here and there. Staying home with the kids necessitates that I handle a lot as it relates to them, however we have named my husband “The Fixer” because when a toy breaks or gets stuck, I typically use that as an opportunity to change activities and do something new. I will set it aside and announce, “This looks like a job for The Fixer.”

When my husband comes home, the kids will run to the door with whatever needs fixed. It’s not that I can’t fix things, it’s honestly more that I admittedly don’t want to. Also I think it adds to the hero factor that Dad has, and I think that’s pretty cool.

My son recently got a bedroom makeover, complete with a bunk bed, dresser, desk and chair. It was important to my husband that he build the bunk bed and dresser with my son, although I’m pretty sure he lost his pint-sized assistant six minutes into the project. His parents built he and his brother loft beds as children and he wanted to share that experience with our son. It turned out great and my son is very proud of what his Daddy built for him.

But when the desk chair arrived two weeks later, I decided I would put it together while my husband was at work. I jokingly sent him a pic of me holding his drill with the half-finished chair in the background, to which he responded, “Oh God.”

Two days later, the desk arrived, so I opened it up and put that together, too. When my husband got home and saw it he asked, “What’s up with your new Bob Villa-ness?”

At just that moment, my daughter came running into the room announcing, “Daddy!! Look what Mommy put together all by herself!”

I looked at my husband and said, “That is exactly why I put it together.”

My husband responded to my daughter, “Mommy can build things just like Daddy can.”

The chair and desk were definitely jobs for The Fixer, but something told me to do it myself to show the kids that I — or more importantly, women — can do these types of jobs, too. It was one of the best decisions I made because my daughter validated my lesson that day.

There are only two screws leftover from that chair that I’m sure are just extras, but my son is loving his new bedroom that Daddy and Mommy built for him.