It doesn’t include the fun stuff, like playing and reading and kissing good night.

My guess is they didn't want it to count as work if it was "fun" which is stupid given that lots of work is fun. And because AFAIAC playing/entertaining the kids all day long is a LOT of work! Speaking of which, I should go clean the kitchen so I can make some play dough.

also playing with a kid is work, not at all always fun, least of all when you don't want to.

I totally agree! Sometimes, I don't want to be the human jungle gym. Sometimes I'd like to just sit on the floor and check my email.

equality is important, but it's not day by day equality.

Yeah, this is how DH and I work. We try to make it average out by the end of the month, more or less.

they didn't want it to count as work if it was "fun" which is stupid given that lots of work is fun.

Right - it's like saying if there are parts of your job you love you shouldn't get paid for those hours.

The whole point of going to the theater is that it's a Big Deal! It costs a lot of money! You should dress up! And not have a goddamned snack! You should have a nice dinner beforehand!

Hey, when we're fighting for dollars with the multiplex down the street? I'll take what advantage there is. Even my dinky little independent shows are more expensive than a movie.

But this is like travel for a lot of people - I feel that people should dress nicely for airflight (or at least sensibly), but there a lot of people who resent being told that they shouldn't dress like they're in their own living room. It's all about societal expectations, and Americans have a long history of resenting external expectations being imposed upon them.

One of the families in an article keeps a color coded spreadsheet. First reaction: whoa way to keep score! That must cause conflicts. But then my second reaction was, "I wonder if we did that, if it really would look equitable through whatever lens we choose."

I wonder how skewed that is by taking out the fun stuff equation. Paul does the lion's share of the fun stuff. I know it exhausts him (but he's better at it than I am).

It occurs to me that I'm really angry about subbing.

The class I'm in has been a party class, a class where the admin and the other teachers tacitly accepted the fact that kids who weren't supposed to be here trouped in and out and no one did anything about it. Even when a kid couldn't be located on campus, they new to check her for that student.

I'm bitter, I think, because I'm unwilling to force one group of kids (the homeroom group) to do the portfolio they are supposed to do. I'm supposed to pass them off to the next teacher. My sense is that the lead teacher in this small learning team is mad at me about not doing this.

But she didn't do anything to help establish order in here. And why should I, in my extreme lame dunk position as a fucking sub in the last 3 weeks of school, wrestle with kids to get them to do it? LAME.

Anyone who thinks reading to children isn't sometimes work has not read the same board book to an 18 month old 30 times in one day. Especially if it isn't even one of the *good* board books (I'd happily read Jamberry or Hairy Maclary 30 times. Well, maybe 20 times.)

Sigh. Still happens with a 4-year-old. Somebody gave her this STUPID Christmas book called Annabelle's Wish about a calf who wants to be a reindeer, and she made us read it to her every night for two weeks in a row. Ugh.

Fortunately now I've gotten her into Mo Willems' pigeon books. Much more fun to read. And I figure she's almost old enough for chapter books read aloud. I can hardly wait to introduce her to Little House and Narnia and Trumpet of the Swan and All-of-a-Kind Family and...

From juliana's link:

Before you leave for the airport, look at yourself in the mirror, and think: Could I meet and IMPRESS someone who would change my life while wearing this? And if the answer is "No," change.

Good advice for any time you leave the house I'd say.

In my marriage, I am less concerned with absolute equity and more concerned that we got each other's back, that we're there for each other and the kids.

So did they tally bill paying and bookkeeping into housework? I'm assuming they did.