Aptitude: a natural or acquired capacity or ability ; a tendency, capacity, or inclination to learn or understand.

I have an aptitude for mathematics. I have an aptitude for language. I have an aptitude for visual/spatial relationships, communication, creativity, teaching, logic, and many other things.

So, what do I do for a living? What do I do for fun?

I manage an income tax preparation office. I prepare personal income tax returns... everything from the most simple paid employee to the more complicated self-employed and capital gains scenarios. I teach Tax School every fall. I train new employees every January. I do research to learn about any new tax scenario a client brings me. I track our use of supplies and make sure we don't run out. I deal with the government so my clients don't have to. I rotate posters throughout tax season to keep the window display fresh. I display my own artwork in the office. I rented a carpet cleaner and cleaned all the carpets and upholstery in the office. I chose the locations for the desks, waiting room, coffee station and floor plants.

I do many different jobs at work.

For fun, I like taking my dogs to the beach, bike riding, playing cards or board games with the kids, maintaining my website (I program raw HTML), cooking, sewing, basketball, baseball, hockey, camping, fishing, driving, rennovating, gardening, carpentry.

I have an aptitude for these things... I know how to do them, I'm good at doing them, and I enjoy doing them.

What I don't have an aptitude for is housework.

I know how to clean, but I am not good at it, and I do not enjoy it. Cleaning isn't Rocket Science... so it holds no interest for me.

That doesn't mean I don't want a clean house. I'm just not capable of cleaning it. So why am I expected to? The answer is simple: I was born Female.

I was born Female. Therefore, it is expected that I cannot fix my own car, cannot build new kitchen cabinets, cannot do well at sports, cannot shovel the snow off my own roof. Well, guess what -- I taught my husband how to do an oil change. I've been doing oil changes longer than I've been driving. I've been surrounded by wood working tools all my life, and I am quite capable of using them. I have alot of stamina and endurance, and I love to play sports. And I had no trouble whatsoever shoveling my roof this winter.

If I watch a friends' baseball game, no one wonders why I'm not playing. If I hire someone to do any of these chores, no one criticizes me for it.

So why am I looked down on for being a poor housekeeper? I do not have an aptitude for it. It is tedious, boring work with no job satisfaction. If a job can never be finished, there is never a point where you can say "look what I have done" and enjoy it.

As soon as a floor is clean, it is walked on. As soon as the bathroom is clean, someone uses it. As soon as the last dish is washed, someone has a drink. As soon as the laundry is finished, someone changes for bed. The job is never done, so there is never any satisfaction from doing it.

I will do anything to get out of doing housework. My dad once offered to wash the supper dishes if I would go outside and fill the woodbox. I took him up on it. The dishwasher was already loaded... there were only a few dishes that needed to be washed by hand. Maybe a 10 minute job. But I chose to go outside, at -40', in the dark, through 3 feet of snow, and pack wood from the pile out back into the garage. The woodbox held a 3 day supply, and it was completely empty. It took me over an hour to do that job. And I felt really good about it. But if I had chosen to not do that job, no one would have criticized me for it. After all, it is physical labour, and I was born female.

On the other hand, if my husband forgets to clean the litter box, or he's too tired to wash the dishes and leaves them for tomorow, or he leaves his coffee cup in the living room, I get plenty of criticism. Never mind that it is his job to keep the litter box clean. Never mind that he is supposed to wash the dishes when I make supper. Never mind that everyone is supposed to take their own dirty dishes to the kitchen. I am the one who is criticized when it doesn't get done.

Proverbs 31:10-31 describes a capable wife. I do fit into that description.

Pr 31:13 "...she works at whatever is the delight of her hands."
Yes, I work hard at the things I enjoy.

Pr 31:18 "She has sensed that her trading is good...."
Pr 31: 24 "She has made even undergarments and proceeded to sell them, and belts she has given to the tradesmen."
That sounds like work outside of the home to me.

Pr 31:27 "She is watching over the goings-on of her household...."
Two thoughts on this one: 1) I know what my kids are up to. 2) I need to make sure everything gets done.

So that is exactly what I have done... I hired a housekeeper. That will make sure everything gets done. My husband was not happy about that... but he doesn't live with me anyway. He thinks it is too expensive. I pointed out that it will cost me less per week than a babysitter... and my kids don't need a babysitter anymore. Therefore, I can afford it.

I will continue doing the things I have an aptitude for... and hiring out the things I do not. Just like everyone else.

"Give her the fruitage of her hands, and let her works praise her." Pr 31:31