Welcome back readers! I am excited about this issue of the valley voice, I get to bring to you the next two rules of the highly effective house husband.

I want to start by saying I am a house husband and I love it. It’s been about 6 years now that my role in the household has been “home specialist”. 2 of those years, I have also been known as Dad to one cool little dude. Life has been interesting, that is for sure.

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this article, I wanted to give a special shout out to my wife, AKA the bacon winner. Without your patience and care, I would never have been able to take this journey. It is because of you and your desire for growth and the support you give, I finally feel like I am making steady progress in the house husband role. You also remind me that change never stops and growth can always happen. I love you, xoxo.

To quickly recap for our last article, we will be in time covering the 10 rules to becoming a highly effective house husband.

 

Recap from Last Issue

1. Focus

Taking care of a household is no easy task. There are a million things to do at any given time, and any number of these things can have another possible million interruptions. That right there is why the number one trait any house husband must master is focus.

2. Cherish your loved ones and family members

Let’s face it, Without a family and loved ones, there would be no need for house husbands. Cherishing your partner and dependants is the whole base of our existence, the pride we take in our work and the exhaustion we overcome is all in the name of the ones we love.

This month, I have had some time to really think about the 10 rules. Please know that I am in no way ranking these rules, and each one rule is just as important as the last. It is only when we use all the rules in conjunction are we truly fulfilling our potential as a house husband.

 

3. Communication

If there is one rule of house husband I suffer with, it’s this one, guys. Honestly though, communication is one of the pillars of any good relationship and the main pillar that must be rebuilt first for any relationship to heal.

As the home maintenance expert, communication on your part will be key to your success. There are going to be a lot of areas that will require concise and prompt communication. This might feel overwhelming to a lot of men, just because we are house husbands does not make us women.

We still suffer from the same afflictions as working men, and healthy communication is one most of us will need to work on. You will need to relay things to your partner. Items like important dates, ie.. Doctor appointments, groceries, household maintenance and so on. In fact, a really easy way to look at a situation and decide if you need to communicate on it is this. Does the choice you are about to make only impact you, or does it impact others in your life. If the answer is the ladder, then you need to talk to the other parties effected.

Communication is not just about a system of checks and balances to ensure all parties feel heard and understood. Communication is the healthy conversation between friends, loved ones and others. In the household, that means taking the time to slow down and enjoy your partner and dependants. Life for a house husband is not just about a million and one responsibilities, it’s about dialog with your family and understand what is going on with them and how you can help.
In turn, if you are not communicating with everyone else in the household, how will they ever know if you need help?

 

4. Consistency

There are very few things quite as frustrating as inconsistencies where consistency should be.

Where that applies to the house husband is this; You will have a lot of responsibilities, and often you will be running behind on these responsibilities, especially if your day to day also includes the care of a child. I find it helpful to plan out what sections of time will be used for certain chores. Though even then I find, as a house husband and a dad, that consistency is a struggle. More often than not, you are faced with having to triage what gets done and what gets put off. When given the chance to get ahead, it is important that you do so. It does not matter if you have your time chunked out, or you are working around your kid, consistency in the household provides safety and structure to those who need it.

What can consistency look like? It’s similar to that of any running household. Things like having meals roughly done on time or getting the laundry done? We need to know what we have on hand in the house and what we need to restock. Is the house clean? Are the kids following their routines? Expectations are set between partners, so consistency will look different from couple to couple.

Once you know what the household and family expectations are of you, it will be up to you to figure out how to keep up with everything and to do it consistently. More importantly, when you can’t be constant with something, use rule 3!

 

Personal Note

Thanks again for checking out the 10 rules for a highly effective house husband. Being able to write for whom ever may read, this gives a much-needed brake to otherwise go go go husband.

 

Ask

I would love to hear from any of the readers out there that might have opinions or stories on the subject I have presented. If you feel like reaching out, you can get a hold of me by sending your material through to [email protected]

Come back next moth for the next two rules of the highly effective house husband.