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Silence from kids? Is that possible?
By Sanika Nalgirkar — Written on Dec 29, 2021
One man took to Reddit in a now-deleted post to ask people if he is in the wrong for wanting a little silence from his family while he works.
In the post, the man explained that he is currently working from home, and how his family makes noise while he is working.
“I need silence to work and I don’t have a home office. It has been slowly pissing me off because I am working hours and I hear noises such as my wife talking, watching TV, kids playing from the other room. I have been VERY patient with them telling more than once that I need 100% silence to focus but even if they are trying to be 'quiet' I still hear some noises (kids, walking around, making food, cleaning, etc.),” the post said.
He then mentioned how he needs silence to work so that he won't get fired, adding, “If I don’t have complete silence, I cannot work and therefore could lose my job.”
Unfortunately, some workplaces aren’t understanding enough to take an employee’s situation into account; however, his family shouldn't be the people he takes his anger out on.
After expressing his thoughts to his wife, she didn’t listen and instead wants him to help out with chores.
The man once again expressed annoyance over helping his wife out with household chores and the kids, when the discussion is really about having silence so he can focus on work.
“My wife on the other hand doesn’t appreciate any of it. When I wasn’t working from home she would ask me to do chores after and take care of the kids when I am obviously very tired needing to wind down and relax for the night,” he wrote.
Housewives have taken on quite a big hit during the pandemic, stuck with doing everything by themselves, so it would be natural for the wife to ask for help.
But the man’s thoughts and comments get quite sexist. “I would remind her that that’s her job as a stay at home mom, but she refuses to listen to me because 'it’s my kids and my home too,'” he continued.
The man felt that those things are his wife’s job, and since he provides for the family financially, he shouldn’t have to do anything else, adding, “I do my part by supporting this family financially, if it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t have a roof over our head, or food to eat.”
People immediately expressed their anger and told the man that he is wrong.
One user commented, “You sound like you don’t appreciate your wife at all. Remember that you get breaks form your paid work; your wife gets none from her unpaid work. What kind of AH expects complete silence from toddlers? Why can’t you invest in noise-canceling headphones?”
Another commented how it’s unrealistic for the man to expect complete silence from toddlers: “You can have total silence at home, or a family with young children. Pick one. Oh wait... you did. It's not realistic that anyone can keep toddlers silent all the time. You need a serious reality check.”
People were quick to take the wife’s side and mention how he seems to be underestimating his wife’s work, saying, “Being a stay at home mum is at minimum 50% of all tasks required to run a household and raise children. If you need time to relax after work, she also needs time to relax after minding the children all day.”
Hopefully, since the post is now deleted, the original poster realizes his mistake and will go a little easier on his family.
Sanika Nalgirkar, M.F.A. is a writer and an Editorial Intern at YourTango who writes on entertainment & news, lifestyle, and pop culture topics.