We have all grown up with it. Images of the perfect housewife, who kept a spotless home, had her husband’s dinner ready as soon as he walked in the door and raised the children whilst managing to look fashionable and beautiful. Think Bree Vandecamp from Desperate Housewives or Betty Draper from Mad Men…..

I think what my husband likes the most about the 1950′s stereotype is that they did all of this without compliant!!! No white laundry that accidentally went pink or dinner that was “slightly overcook” to the point of burnt.

Where the hell did this stereotype come from? Is it just a myth or did people really manage all of this?

However, as much as I want to shrug this off that it is a different era and more than 50 years later, now I am a stay at home mum on maternity leave I cannot seem to stop thoughts that I should be having dinner on the table, the house relative clean (so it doesn’t look like I’ve done nothing all day!) and the laundry basket is looking managable not overflowing.

I know this is not expected of me. But now I’m at home all the time I seem to have this problem that I feel I should be at least trying to do this.

But after I shrunk my husband underwear (which I argued he might have put on some weight instead – yes that was naughty!) and some debacles in the kitchen from some “experiments” he did give me a hug and say “I didn’t marry you honey for your domestic skills’.

Now, I’m not sure still if this is a good or bad thing but after digesting this I have settled on is that at least I have managed his expectations. (Although his version of this scenerio is that he has now learnt to live with it!)

So why do I persist you might say? Yes, yes, my husband says this regularly to me. Why am I trying to be something I am not. Something that will drive me insane to achieve perfection on a daily basis.

So, this got me thinking what does the 2013 homemaker look like?

The chores are similar but we have much better technology to help us do it more quickly and efficiently. Think washing machines, microwaves, and dishwashers. We have great inventions since the 1950′s to shortcut traditional homemaker chores like fitted sheets, coffee machines and ready-made meals. So where is all this spare time??

In the 1950′s they said that after a long day of work your husband should come home to “a haven of calm”. Ha! Scotch and slippers – yes get it yourself!

So my version on a 2013 homemaker is that I am happy to give my husband a drink when he gets home from work (as long as I get one too!) and because we live in 2013 I will dial for take-away and not feel guilty about it if everything in my day goes to s**t.