My Wife is One of My Girls Too.

It is about 8:45p and my daughters are in bed sleeping. It is one of the rare nights we got them both in bed on time within a margin of error. Just as we settle into our own bed my wife’s phone rings. It is our babysitter, and she needs me to print out her homework.

Out of all the random requests a family might get on a late Tuesday (yes 8:45p is considered late for two working parents with two young children) I would never have thought of this one. But rather than be irritated or even let out a heavy sigh I instructed my wife on how the young high school junior should email the homework to me and I began the walk down six sets of stairs into my basement home office to print it for her.

For one thing I know her parents, and they likely can’t use a computer to play Pac-man so it is not her fault. Second, good trustworthy babysitters are hard to come by and when you find the best they are recognized as a family friend. We overpay her to make sure she says yes when we need her and I have my own agenda at work in doing this favor as well.

There are times when I recognize that my wife has had a few bad days at work in a row. There are also times when I must travel for my job and that means Mom must do everything for weeks at a time. All she asks for in stress relief is two good workouts a week at the gym, that the sanctity of her hair appointments be respected, and date nights.

I print out the homework and can’t resist looking it over. It is a nice report on chapter 25, “Imperialism, Alliances, and War”. I learned a few things in reading it along with confirmation that I am not smarter than an 11^th grader either. I am smart enough to secure the natural resources required for having regular worry free date nights with my wife however, and the occasional lava cake for desert.