What color is this job?

A friend and her husband had divided household jobs into traditional “blue” and “pink” categories (as in “I’m not taking out the trash. That’s a blue job.).  I don’t think that would work around our house.

Yesterday, I assembled our new lawnmower.  Daughter #2 helped.  While watching me tighten the wheel axle bolts, she asked “Shouldn’t Papa be doing this?”  Apparently, mostly men do jobs like this.  For example, on the Berenstain Bears, Papa Bear builds things and Mama Bear bakes honeycakes.

I told her that Papa could do it but that he would take longer and I would have to help him anyway. Plus, I needed the mower asap to do the yardwork.

This was an aberration.  She usually says that women are smarter than men and have bigger brains.  She knows that Mama puts up shelves and adjusts bicycles.  Papa and Mr. crazybengal anchored our swingset in the backyard.  While I do appreciate the hard work, they didn’t follow the instructions.  Daughter #2′s advice? “Next time, Mama and crazybengal should do it themselves because girls are better at that kind of stuff than boys.” I’m so proud.