HEBREWS 6:10 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
“What’s for dinner?” Your wife cooks dinner every day of the week. How can you help your wife prepare a meal once a week?
Hear those three little words every day for years on end, and you’ll want to run screaming!
By any chance, could that be how your wife feels right about now???
Even though I love to cook (or at least I did before I had to cook roughly 8,000 dinners for my family!), a few years ago, I’d had about all I could take. So I asked my husband if he could handle dinner just one night a week.
He heard me how burdensome the planning, shopping, prepping, and cleaning up can be, so he took it on. Let me tell you, it’s been amazing.
And so… I thought I’d give you some food for thought (sorry–couldn’t resist!) on helping your wife bear the dinner burden:
- Please don’t wait for her to ask. If she’s the chief cook in the family, she’s sick of it–guaranteed.
- With handling dinner, surprises aren’t always good. If she’s already halfway done making dinner, you showing up with a pizza isn’t helpful–it’s downright frustrating. Make a plan ahead of time for you to make dinner on a specific night, or call her at around 3:00 that day–if she doesn’t have a clue what to make for dinner that night, she’ll love you for taking it off her shoulders. If she already has a plan in place, you were sweet to ask anyway, and you derailed nothing.
- Don’t just hit the default button. Takeout is OK sometimes, but frankly, she can place an order just as easily as you can. The real burden of handling dinner is taking into consideration health, budget, variety, and every family member’s likes and dislikes. Get on board with that–even if it’s just grabbing fajita ingredients or pre-made kebabs from the grocery store butcher or making omelets with some healthy toppings for everyone to choose from.
- Even when you don’t cook, help her out with the planning. Thinking of simple, healthy meal ideas (don’t ask her to make a standing rib roast every Thursday!) is hugely helpful. After all, coming up with what to have is at least half the battle!
- Oh, and last, don’t ask her what’s for dinner. Just don’t. Ever. Instead, simply ask, “Can I help with dinner tonight?”
I bet when you are getting married, you never thought you or your wife would struggle with dinner. The issue is not dinner; it’s the never-ending need to cook dinner. Like any repetitive activity, it can get old, and if you are doing it three or more times a day, it can get really old.
So get your manliest apron out and show your wife you can handle your business in the kitchen. Remember, God, put Adam in charge of the Garden of Eden to “work” and “keep it.”
Uncommen Questions
- Is your wife struggling with dinner? Have you asked? If you cooked 8000 meals, how would you feel right about now?
- Would you be up to handling dinner once a week? Before you answer, remember your wife currently handles all the days of the week.
Uncommen Challenge: If you can’t handle dinner by yourself once a week, what could you do to help her? You may need to ask her how you can help her. If work is an obstacle for you, then offer to handle cooking one day on the weekend.
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This is so true, and nice to hear from the wife’s POV. Even something as simple as helping with the meal prep (cutting, stirring, mixing something), we can all handle that gentlemen. Start small and work your way up. Going to the grocery store and dividing up the list. Let’s try to do what we can to better serve our wives.
I do 99% of the cooking, however, she does the planning, shopping, and a majority of the house work. I really enjoy cooking and have learned over the years that she does a ton to make our house a home. Thank you for the write up as I can certainly do more to take weight off her shoulders.
Lance, that is great to hear. Maybe you and your wife can discuss where you both need help. That may lead to each of your doing what you enjoy. Thank for the comment!