Dearest Jamie,
I’m going to be honest with you. In our two decades of marriage, I have never known exactly what our roles are. It’s never been clear to me. I’ve always been confused about hierarchy in our household.
See, when I was a kid I was led to believe that males were supposed to “wear the pants” of the family. But that’s not you and me.
I became acutely aware of this about ten minutes into our marriage when you signed all the checks, paying the wedding florists, photographers, and caterers. Then you wrote a check to me.
I asked what my check was for.
You replied, “It’s your monthly allowance.”
I quickly realized that I would not be wearing the proverbial pants. In fact, I would be wearing the proverbial cutoff jean shorts, like the shorts my cousin Beverly wears when she wants attention.
And I’m okay with that.
Because the truth is, you’re stronger than I am. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. It’s just a fact.
Used to, it made me feel like less
of a man to know that my wife was made of tougher mettle than I was. But not anymore. No, these days I’m just proud to be married to such a sturdy person.
And you are sturdy. That’s why you’re the one who does the important stuff in our life. You do the planning, the organizing, the deep thinking, the bill-paying, the technical troubleshooting.
You are the one who keeps our world going. Without you, it’s a mess.
Which is why after you went to Canada for your friend’s wedding, the day you returned home, the fire department was parked in our front lawn. Sirens flashing. The fireman informed you that it was the third time they’d visited our house in the last week. He also took away my deep-fryer.
Also, you are a powerful woman. Not just psychologically,…