I have to admit – I am the one who wears the pants in our household.  Though we don’t like to dwell on the specific roles we are each supposed to play, the truth is that I am mom/dad and husband/wife most of the time.  I don’t mind this role so much – I tend to be an organized person and since I am the one who keeps things in order, it just comes naturally to me.

I do sometimes wish that I could have help with some of the more daunting tasks.  I would love to not be a chauffeur for a few days, for instance.  That would be incredibly helpful to me.  The endless driving to doctors and dentists, the grocery store, the bank, etc. gets tiresome.  There are other chores that I would like to hand off as well.  Though I am the person who “knows it all”, I am not superwoman.

Since I am so used to handling the daily errands, phone calls, appointments, etc., it can be hard to let someone else take over.  Will they do things the same as I do?  By trying to help will they only make more work for me in the long run?  To ease my mind when letting someone else take over, I try to:

• Write a detailed list with clear directions
• Use an easy to read format with defined timelines
• Remind myself that they are helping me!

What tasks would you love to have someone else do for you?  Would it be difficult for you to watch that person do things differently?

[photo by SashaW]

Editor’s note: This post was written by Jennifer Regan, author of the Eighty MPH Mom blog and The Speedy Gourmet blog.