Maybe you didn't lay down any ground rules when you got married, but it's not too late to make new rules for your marriage and household. Make your partnership more of a 50-50 split. Establish respect for all of the roles that each of you play. Work inside the home is as important and as worthy of time off as work outside the home. {relatedarticles}Make a list of household duties that you each tackle on a daily and weekly basis. You might find that you're each surprised at some of the things on the list. Discuss the possibility of shifting or trading the items for a more equal distribution. Having a formalized plan will ideally avoid nagging, another source of family stress. As your husband enters somewhat uncharted territory, whether it's grocery shopping, feeding the kids or cleaning, understand that there will be a bit of a learning curve. Praise him for trying to do a good job instead of criticizing a job that doesn't meet your (high) standards. A hug and a kiss go a long way when it comes to encouraging him to keep up the good work.
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