The Audacity of Men!

       Okay, I am the first to admit when it comes to the kids my husband does a good fair share of duties. I must add this is after I return to work. While I am at home he considers it a vacation and well he has yet to get up in the middle of the night with either kids. But that is something else entirely. I have talked about scorekeeping and how it can really bring a marriage down. Well it has crept back into our lives at the Smith household. Last week my whole family went on vacation. My mother picks up the baby and takes him to the sitter for us since the sitter is in Wasco and we live in Bakersfield. Obviously with her gone we would be driving to Wasco ourselves. Now being the nice wife that I am I volunteered to use some of my vacation time and take an extra day off so my husband wouldn't have to drive the kids all week. I went to work at 4 am all week so he was left to drop both kids off by himself. Which means he must get up with the baby feed and change, get himself ready and Aiden. Also he had to do this on his days off since I was working. I had to hear all week how he never got to sleep in and how he was so tired and on and on and on. Mind you he didn't cook or clean or do laundry just got up with the baby all week long. I couldn't take it any longer and of course the argument began.
      Me: welcome to my life, Him: what are you talking about I let you nap sometimes, Me: a nap is not sleeping in, I let you sleep in every week on your day off, Him: please you have it so easy Me: all you did was get up with the kids I still cooked and cleaned and worked too Him: you never give me credit for all the stuff I do!!!!
    So here it is the question of my adult life: Why do men expect credit for doing their share of the workload with the kids/home? Do you ever hear women complain you never give me credit for my fair share of paying the bills? I mean really. You are their parent too of course you bathe, feed, dress, and play with them. Why do you deserve a pat on the back for that? I carried the baby for 9 months but I loved it, but that  doesn't mean it wasn't hard. It just means it was my pleasure and duty as the mom. And futhermore, if you get credit for the kids do I get credit for working outside the home? For me and my hubby it is harder because we do the same job. We work for the same company. And while his store is busier than mine, it doesn't ease my work load. Also I am the one that sacrifices the extra time and effort to move forward in my career so he can. Where is my credit for that?!!!!! Scorekeeping sucks but I am finding no matter how hard you both try when one starts it, you can't ignore it. Ugh such is life I guess. How do you all deal?