The Art of Being Domesticated

Talking about household chores to your partner

If you have just moved in with your boyfriend/girlfriend recently, then in the middle of all the excitement you probably forgot to discuss one thing - and that is, housework. It may sound lame in the beginning, and maybe you think the topic is not even worth the time, but unless you can hire a maid to do all the household works for you, you need to talk about it with your partner. It may not be glamorous, but you have to face it: household chores would be a part of your lives as a live-in couple. Here are some things you can try to start learning the art of being domesticated:

Talk about the works. It is never too early to take the initiative to discuss the particulars of doing chores at home, apartment, or wherever you are residing with your partner. Will you wait until your bed sheets stink, or there are mountains of dishes on the sink, before you actually find time to sit down and talk to your partner about dividing the workload between the two of you? Simple things like who will do the cleaning and who will take care of the laundry will go a long way in making your home actually appear homey - and avoid arguments in the very near future.

Learn to compromise. Does your boyfriend always have to take the trash out? If may not be a bad idea to try doing it even once in awhile. If your girlfriend usually cooks for both of you, why not do it for once? If you don't know how to cook, you can have a good meal delivered at your doorstep. The point is, make sure the workload is evenly divided between you and your partner. Scheduling rotations of tasks is also a good way to compromise.

Bonding time. It may not be everyone's idea of bonding time, but why not look at doing household chores as a sort of bonding time between you and your partner? For example, clean the house together on a given Saturday, or paint the garage during a weekend. It will make the job easier, not to mention provide you and your partner to do productive things together and still have some fun. After the work is done, you can always watch a movie or have dinner - and come home to a nice looking flat.

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