Overcoming Submissive Burnout

I should be cleaning the kitchen right now. But I'm writing on the internet instead.

Apparently I'm just burned out this week. It sometimes feels like all I do is clean and do dishes and run errands and go to work. My wife recognizes this, and isn't backing off. Instead, she's pressuring me to get back to work. She keeps up her high standards of obedience and service, regardless of what kind of mood I'm in. I recognize that this is incredibly important, and is a large part of why our D/s dynamic is so persistent.

But that doesn't change the fact that I'm tired! Part of me wants to steal the remote, put my feet up, grab a beer, and watch TV. I think it's times like these when D/s dynamics break down for some couples. There are always a few days or a week at a time every so often where things are just tough.

But I need to remember that I'm not taking on more responsibilities than my wife. I'm not working harder than her, we're just doing different things. She's just as tired as I am, and having a whining husband who shirks his responsibilities is the last thing she needs.

As a subservient husband, I have taken on all of the domestic duties because that frees my wife to take on more important responsibilities. While I'm cleaning and shopping, she's doing the extra work she needs to do at her high-powered job to keep up with her coworkers. While I'm doing the laundry and paying the bills, she's tracking our spending and updating our financial plan.

When submissive husbands take on household tasks, it's so that their wives can do more important things (even if those things occasionally include sleeping in or watching a movie). My wife is already working harder than me, on more important things. If I slack off on cleaning the kitchen, what does that say about my worth as a husband?

So on that note, I'm going to go take a deep breath, get a drink of water, and get back to cleaning the kitchen.

Becoming a Househusband?

My wife and I know two families in which the wives are breadwinners and the men are househusbands. These are highly-functioning families where mom, dad, and kids are as happy as a modern family can be. It's clear to me that becoming a househusband may be a great idea for many men.


It's a fact that women outperform men in education and that traditionally low-skill, male-oriented occupations are being automated or outsourced in favor of fields that highly value skills that women offer as much or more than men. This means that there are more and more marriages where it makes sense for the husband to stay home and for the wife to be the breadwinner.

In low-cost areas where one income is sufficient, the woman will have increasing earning power. In more expensive areas, the insane cost of childcare alone may make it preferable for the husband to stay home even if he earns $50,000 per year ($50K equates to about $40K in take home pay, which is about $3,300 a month. Child care for two children can run over $3,500 a month. )

So in many cases, the most rational decision will be for the husband to stay at home. But how many will actually do so?

First, men must accept that being a homemaker is an important job, and they should be proud of it. Men are just as capable as women are of caring for children, and with significant training, can do a good job at taking care of the home. By becoming a househusband, they will be making a rational decision that makes the most sense for their families. What's to be ashamed of?

Second, some househusbands will embrace the subservient role they will be taking on. Others will have to accept it, hopefully with support and direction from their wives. Their wives will control the finances, and will make the most important decisions, such as where they will live, what kind of home and vehicle the family will purchase, and how the children will be educated. The husbands don't have to take all of their orders from their wives, but as they see the wives making the big decisions, they will probably realize it's best to defer to them in all decisions.

Third, and most importantly, husbands must admit the huge benefits their wives would realize. Wives would be free to pursue their careers to the fullest, and would help close the absurdly large gender gap in salary. They would be confident that their children were in safe hands, and can return at the end of the day to a home environment that is welcoming, peaceful, and extremely fulfilling. I would personally love for my wife to tell her coworkers, "my husband stays at home taking care of the house and kids." Many of her male colleagues have housewives, so why not her?

Alas, my salary right now is such that it doesn't make sense for me to become a househusband. While I would relish the role of supporting my wife and spending all day at home with the kids, in the long run I'm more useful at work, collecting a paycheck. This isn't such a bad problem to have, and as childcare becomes an expense for us, this may change. But for now, it looks like I'll be in the workforce.

I just wonder how many men are out there working, when their families would be better off with them at home taking care of things.