LET’S face it, motherhood can be hard enough to juggle as it is, let alone with an endless list of chores to try and get through.
But one mum-of-three named Clara has been flooded with praise after revealing the genius way she ensured her husband of 23 years would give her a helping hand – by making him sign a ‘chore contract’ before their baby arrived.
“Before I had my kids, I had been around enough women to understand the problems that they’re facing in their marriages when the children trickle into the equation,” she says, in a clip shared to her TikTok (@claraloveslife) page.
She went on to say how she’d been listening to their feedback, so when she found out she was pregnant, she was quick to grab a notepad and pen and set to work drawing up a chore contract.
Clara added that it was a clear way to help her hubby understand exactly what he’d need to do when the baby arrives.
“Let us stop assuming that the men we’re getting married to already know what to do when their children are coming into our lives,” she says.
“We don’t know what we’re doing, fathers don’t know what they’re doing.”
However, the busy mum explained that the one thing she did know for sure was that the chores were only going to increase with their new impending arrival.
“I was like ‘we need to have a conversation – sign the contract!'” she says.
She proceeded to note that she asked her other half to write down some of the things he’d be happy to do, before then revealing the list of chores they eventually agreed on.
“We agreed that one of us is going to do a bath in the morning and one of us is going to do the bath at night,” Clara says.
“He said, ‘I’m going to do the ironing if you’re going to do the washing.’
“I’m a better cook of the family but I don’t want to do it every day, so we agreed that I’m going to cook Monday to Friday and he’s going to cook on the weekends.”
She added that the pair also talked about cleaning and he offered to clean the bathrooms.
Sharing the success of the contract so far, Clara concludes: “We have stuck to the contract.
“…I’ve been with my husband for 23 years, this is not what’s kept us together but it definitely has helped.
“He’s stuck to it so there’s no point writing a contract if you can’t stick to it.”
Clara captioned the post: “I had my husband sign a Chore contract right before we had our first baby.
“I had seen enough to know that we needed a clear understanding of whats about to happen and what responsibilities fall on whom.”
The post quickly racked up thousands of views and comments, with many other mums rushing to the comments section to praise Clara’s “smart” idea.
“I love this idea! can I implement it now many many years later hahahaha,” joked one.
A second commented: “I need to do this SO bad…”
A third wrote: “What I have come to learn is that assumptions can lead to resentment. That’s a good idea!”
Meanwhile, a fourth who has also seen success in a similar idea wrote: “I breastfed he does the nappies, fill up my drink, I cook, he cleans- he looks after toddler while I take care of newborn, I shop he carries the bag,I drive he gets pram ready and kids….”
Another added: “You gave me the best idea in the world – we did not made one before, baby already born, but hello yeah I’m gonna make one now.”
