I was not raised in a home where it was solely dependent on my mom or other family members, not to say it was always a good thing., however seeing that dynamic in my family as my dad because the super dad and I believe it was all choice. I don’t ever remember my daddy demanding my mother to be a housewife because growing up in a Caribbean household was vastly different from most of my friend’s homes. For instance, we would defend my dad as if he had taken on my mother’s role, he was the go-to guy for lunches for school, pressing our clothes and or teaching us how to be self-sufficient so we can help him. I thought this was a little bizarre at first because I saw most of my friends’ homes in the reverse, so I asked my father why he chose to be Mr. Mom. and he simply told me that “housework is not just a woman’s decree” but it is a married shared responsibility from both sides. I thank God that I saw that growing up because it helped more than hurt but in that, I saw my mom take advantage of my dad at times due to his desire to not just help but play a role in being a great father role not just to me but to my six stepsisters and me and my brother. I was taught how to do all of what he did when I was under 10 years old because in his culture it is the children that are responsible as they grow and get older to do household duties while mom and dad work. we all shared the housework and chores, so it worked well for us until my mom died then it got a little harder, I had to drop out of school and become an early adult in the end it made me a better person all around.
