Man Tells Wife To Stop Expecting Appreciation For Being A Stay-At-Home Mom, Because It's Her "Job"

Motherhood can be a grueling task. In the midst of dealing with all kinds of difficulties, you realize that you'll have to push out a watermelon-sized child for who knows how long, after carrying the child for what seems like an eternity. 

Many women may not even be aware of how difficult the process is because it is seen as routine and undemanding by a vast majority of people.

In the minds of many, being a mother is an easy task that doesn't even merit comparison to a 9-to-5 job. What else are you doing besides feeding and caring for another human being? You're just cleaning the house and trying to keep up with an endless list of chores—how difficult is that?

One Redditor, who happens to be the husband of a stay-at-home mother, was left worried after a massive argument ensued with his wife. 

She had recently started complaining about being burned out due to the workload at home. However, her major request was that her husband should show a little bit of appreciation for the energy she puts into keeping the house in order while also caring for their 2-year-old twins. 

In his opinion, they both have their respective roles. He explained that it wouldn't make sense to appreciate her, considering that he doesn't ask her to appreciate him for making money for the family. 

Well, his response didn't sit well with his wife, and so he decided to seek the opinion of the Reddit community.

With 2-year-old twins and a host of house chores, parenthood can become a full-time job.

Chris Ford (not the actual photo)

Occasionally, people fail to recognize that, even if they aren't particularly affectionate themselves, other people may require those fundamental human emotions in order to experience inner satisfaction. Even if your partner is a stay-at-home parent, it's never a bad idea to tell them how much you love and appreciate them.

AITA for telling my wife that she should stop constantly expecting appreciation and just get on with her job of being a SAHM?

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He explained that when he and his wife got married, they both agreed that she would be a stay-at-home mom.

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As someone who makes a good wage, the OP and his wife are comfortable. In addition, she's free to buy herself things without any stipulated spending limit.

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The OP praised his wife's diligence in taking care of the house. Apparently, he thought she was okay with their roles, but it seems the opposite is the case.

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To his surprise, his wife started complaining about being burned out, unappreciated, and taken for granted.

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She requested that he show her appreciation by buying her some small gifts.

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Well, he didn't take her seriously until a major argument ensued. In her words, she's fed up with being "treated like a servant."

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From the OP's point of view, he didn't feel the need to appreciate his wife because they are both carrying out their respective roles. After all, she doesn't thank him for making money.

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Now, he seems to be on the fence. Thus, he decided to ask the Reddit community if they think he's a jerk for not appreciating his wife.

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The post has garnered over 7k likes and 2k comments, many of whom express an interest in his unique take on the matter.

"Is it really too much to occasionally buy your wife a bar of chocolate or say thank you?"

Via Reddit

"Your wife expecting that low bar to be met is reasonable."

Via Reddit

"She's telling you what she needs; it doesn't sound like it would cost you much effort to make her feel appreciated."

Via Reddit

"You get weekends off, right? When is her day off?"

Via Reddit

"She is taking care of you and your kids."

Via Reddit

Buying her a box of chocolates is definitely "very small and easy."

Via Reddit

Different users took pleasure in schooling the OP on the importance of making his wife feel loved and appreciated.

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The internet community had the pleasure of shaming the naive author and pointing out the glaring errors in his reasoning.

Stay-at-home dads and moms have a unique set of challenges when it comes to raising children. There are few jobs that can compare to this one in terms of mental and physical exhaustion; therefore, having an understanding spouse by your side is a necessity.