Domestic amnesia

This morning I watched the movie The Iron Lady. Since it's the story of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, I had been putting off watching it thinking the move would be heavy and historical. I adored the movie and I adore her.

It's a story about love and loss and girl power. The movie and the women were inspiring. When her husband Dennis proposed to her in the movie, she told him she was not going to die with a teacup in her hand. He told her that was why he wanted to marry her. If the movie was accurate, he honored her independence and dedication to public service most of the time.

I was thinking about the movie and their relationship while jogging just now. They were lucky to find each other. So many men brag about how independent they are when you first start going out. They can repair the roof then come in and sew on a button while whipping up a gourmet candle-lit dinner. Then you become a committed couple and maybe get married and it all stops.

Domestic amnesia hits. They turn from the male version of Martha Stewart to being totally helpless.

My ex did it. I was the main earner of the couple but he reminded me often that he was "head of the household." Since I worked from home, he expected dinner to be on the table and the TV turned to his favorite talking heads as soon as he walked in the door. I don't recall him doing as much as one load of laundry or any cleaning while we were married. His idea of cooking was tossing a frozen pizza in the oven.

I worked the entire time we were together except for about 2.5 months when I took a break before starting my own company while he took a total of about two years off. One was an entire year he decided to focus on professional development. Then he had a really hard time finding a job afterwards. And while he was off, he didn't do any more around the house than usual.

Do I seem remotely like June Cleaver?

Most girls today aren't. But we're also consistent. We're either domestic or not. Rarely do you find a single girls who rivals Rachel Ray when she first starts dating a man then forgets it all as soon as there's a ring.

I hope Margaret Thatcher inspires more single girls. They had careers, independence, two children and were madly in love - according to the movie at least. After all of the years together, they became fiercely dependent on each other, which watching her after his death absolutely heartbreaking. That's the kind of love I hope to find.

Love to the single girls,
Addison