Dear Queenie,
Since I retired it seems my wife can’t stand to have me around. It’s not as if I hang around the house all day. I go out to run errands or just to hang out with friends, but I would like to be able to sleep late or watch daytime TV without her getting mad at me just for being there.
Queenie, what’s wrong with that?—In her way
Dear In,
For all of your working life your wife has had the house to herself during the day (assuming she was a stay-at-home Mom) or never had much, if any, alone-time at home if she had a job. Now that you are retired she has to make a huge adjustment.
It might help if you would pitch in with the housework now that you do not have to go out to work, instead of just lazing around while she still does all the work she has always had to do – and do not kid yourself: keeping house is just as hard work as holding down whatever kind of job you retired from. Give her a chance to retire too!
