Don’t Refold the Towels

“Don’t refold the towels”, is a saying I came up with for myself after a few years of marriage. After complaining about how much work I did around the house and how much help I was not getting with the household chores, my hubby took it upon himself to fold the laundry one day to help me out. As I looked at the piles of neatly folded clothes on the floor, I noticed that he totally folded the towels the “wrong way”. Being a very particular person, I took it upon myself to refold them the “right way” so they would fit the way I wanted them to into the hall closet. 

My husband, Josh, immediately questioned, “Why did I even bother, if you were going to redo everything I just did?” He made a valid point. If I was going to find fault with his attempts to help me around the house; what would ever motivate him to want to assist in the daily household chores? Refolding the towels would only discourage him from ever helping fold laundry again.

From his perspective it was a lose-lose situation. If he does not help around the house, I am not happy. If he helps around the house, and if it is not done my way, I am not happy. So why even bother. Refolding the towels was an insult to my husband who was only trying to help me. My response was basically telling him that the way he folded the towels was wrong and unappreciated.

After being married now for almost twenty years and having two grown children, I have learned to appreciate everything my husband and children do for me. Even when the kids were little, they learned to fold laundry too along with other miscellaneous chores around the house. Everyone helps around the house, and that is the way it should be. Afterall, help is help. And I recognize the extra time it gives me in a day, which is so incredibly valuable. Sometimes the towels do not look perfect, or the groceries and dishes are not where I want them to be, but that is okay.

The whole point of delegating chores and asking for help is to make your life easier. If the people around you are helping to their best ability, consider it a job well done. Don’t insult or discourage anyone by “refolding the towels”. In fact, compliment them and tell them “Thank you”. Afterall, they are just trying to help and that should be recognized.