Housework Chicken....how long have you held out?

[JensonsAcolyte]

We had a delivery of 90 loo rolls (so a massive package) on Friday.

After watching 3 out of the 4 adults in this house climb over it to get upstairs, I decided to play chicken.

I’m afraid I cracked first, yesterday morning. But only because I saw that someone had opened the large package, taken out an individual pack, taken out a single loo roll and walked off.

I lost my shit and then while I was stomping around the house shouting about ungrateful lazy bastards, I actually slung the package in the cupboard where it lives.

So a six day hold out.

Please come and tell me your best/pettiest/longest lasting games of chicken.

@Springersrock

My DH bought home a bag of toiletries for himself.

Left them in the carrier bag on our bathroom floor for about 3 weeks. He just took bits out of it as required until all that was left was an empty carrier bag. I used it to line the bathroom bin in the end.

There’s currently a pair of his socks in the middle of the living room rug - they’ve been there since Sunday

We do this all the time... the difference is (I guess) that both DH and I are happy to live like this.

Tbh I wouldn't have married someone who was neurotic/passive-aggressively game-playing about tidiness. There are some things he doesn't like, like leaving washing up in the sink overnight, so he does the washing up every evening. He definitely wouldn't "play chicken" over something only he cares about...!

My mum once played this game with a pile of clean towels. She wanted to see if anyone else would take them upstairs and put them away. She lasted a week.

During the same week, she lost her car keys.

When she finally gave in and moved the pile of towels she found her keys under them.

My dh wrote ‘dust’ on the bookcase. I work, he works. If he can write in the dust he can dust it. On principle I am not dusting that bookcase until the word has gone.

OH's laundry permanently lives on a worktop in the kitchen now , especially his work stuff. If he puts it away fine, if not , meh not my problem.

@Albacross

My dh wrote ‘dust’ on the bookcase. I work, he works. If he can write in the dust he can dust it. On principle I am not dusting that bookcase until the word has gone.

To be fair, it could be a label rather than an instruction 😂

I’m not even that tidy or bothered.

It’s the ‘fuck you’ element of assuming someone else (me) will put it away. I’m trying to drill that into them. It may be too late for DH but I have two proto-adults about to inflict themselves on the world and I’d like to make them a bit better at this stuff.

Plus I’m super petty 🤷‍♀️

Three weeks.

I caved on laundry because dh never does any so neither did I. I only caved because I ran out of clean pants. I was doing some days at work in the office and some from home so on wfh days I didn’t wear a bra.

@elp30
My dp is doing the same bastarding thing. Pile of clothes on bed gets threw to floor every fucking night.
I toss all back to his side of the bed in the mornings. Has been going on 4 and half months now... i could just bag it up and fuck it all out to the dump but then he would win. (Might aswell just put it away in that case)

But you also assumed that, op. And you're the only one bothered by it.

4 weeks holding out cleaning up a big blob of some food off the floor.
No one would admit it, and I thought I’m fucked if I’m cleaning it up. So I left it, and it sat there for weeks on end.
The worst thing is my family must be slobs as no one but me paid the blindest bit of notice to it until 1 day I flipped out, completely lost my shit about it and cleaned it up.
No one ever admitted to it either.

I didn’t assume it. I’m the default human in the house. If I don’t put it away or ask someone to put it away, it doesn’t get done.

Literally no one else in this house would think oh, that doesn’t live there, I’ll move it. Or, oh this bathroom could do with a scrub. Or, what shall we have for dinner, let’s have a look at what I could make.

I’m a bit sick of it.

They’ve all got really really complacent since I’ve been furloughed and 17th may is going to be a shock to the system for them.

Weeks.
There's a pair of his boxers on the bathroom floor... Been there about 6 weeks roughly..
There's a cup on the bathroom window sill... His... About 4 weeks
My ex and I had dishes standoff. We ran out so I used paper plates until he did his turn.
I ain't yo mamma! 🤣🤣

@JensonsAcolyte

I didn’t assume it. I’m the default human in the house. If I don’t put it away or ask someone to put it away, it doesn’t get done.

Literally no one else in this house would think oh, that doesn’t live there, I’ll move it. Or, oh this bathroom could do with a scrub. Or, what shall we have for dinner, let’s have a look at what I could make.

I’m a bit sick of it.

They’ve all got really really complacent since I’ve been furloughed and 17th may is going to be a shock to the system for them.

Go right back to basics. Whatever you need and the rest, just about enough to not need hazmat suits to enter .

If they're old enough and big enough to not starve,die or harm themselves in the process just let them get on with it whatever it is.

Disappointed this isn’t about a chicken that cleans.

But seriously this game never works, you’ll just drive yourself mad. Just do it yourself or tell someone else to. They won’t do it otherwise it just doesn’t register.

@Albacross

My dh wrote ‘dust’ on the bookcase. I work, he works. If he can write in the dust he can dust it. On principle I am not dusting that bookcase until the word has gone.

I'd be tempted to write "correct, it is dust" in the dust underneath/beside it.

I was playing toilet roll stand-off the other day. The toilet roll was getting low and there was none on the toilet roll holder. I waited to see if anyone would voluntary get a new packet of toilet roll. Unfortunately I lost the battle.

I WISH I was better at playing chicken, but I'm confident my husband will hold out longer than me, always. But it does piss me off no end how I have to 'ask' him to do things, why am I the bloody house manager, the one who actually identifies everything that needs to be done, even if he is willing to help do those things? I don't think it's going to change though, but I still resent it, and worry it will get worse when we have our first baby this summer.

Dh left his suit trousers in the bathroom on 18.8.19 and picked them up to wear on 20.4.20.

@notalwaysalondoner

I WISH I was better at playing chicken, but I'm confident my husband will hold out longer than me, always. But it does piss me off no end how I have to 'ask' him to do things, why am I the bloody house manager, the one who actually identifies everything that needs to be done, even if he is willing to help do those things? I don't think it's going to change though, but I still resent it, and worry it will get worse when we have our first baby this summer.

Better way to think about it is "not my job" /" not my problem". Stops all the will he ,won't he and should I ,shouldn't I fretting. Plus much easier to ignore. It's not your job after all.

I'm at 5 weeks and 6 days on a grill pan that won't fit in the dishwasher and just needs a quick wipe down.

@StrictlyAFemaleFemale

Dh left his suit trousers in the bathroom on 18.8.19 and picked them up to wear on 20.4.20.

I love how you remembered the date he left them there

I think this is a bit of a shitty passive aggressive way of going about things. From the point of view of the others in the house, you didn't do it either. Maybe they were playing chicken with you? Often people are hyper aware of the chores they have done and genuinely think it's someone else's turn. Or they are like my DH and just don't see it / care until someone points it out. Why not just ask them, or do it yourself if you're the only one who cares?

@JensonsAcolyte

I’m not even that tidy or bothered.

It’s the ‘fuck you’ element of assuming someone else (me) will put it away. I’m trying to drill that into them. It may be too late for DH but I have two proto-adults about to inflict themselves on the world and I’d like to make them a bit better at this stuff.

Plus I’m super petty 🤷‍♀️

This is me! I refused to top up the loo rolls in both loos to see how long it would take before DH and DS (adult) did it. I even resorted to taking my own in there when I went. It took a week until DS did it. No bugger has done it since. Thing is my DH will do stupid stuff like polish the fucking cooker extractor hood but not wipe up the pickle he dropped all over work top. I simply don't get it.

DH often says he will clear up (or wash up) "later" or "in the morning" after a sunday roast dinner. He doesnt seem to have grasped that saying you plan to and actually doing it are not the same. One day I left one token greasy pan for him to wash. It was there for 2 weeks! And he only washed it up then because I asked!

Noticed an empty shampoo bottle in the family bathroom sink three weeks ago. I don’t use that so I don’t clean it, or even go in there, except
to collect laundry up.

It’s still there. It must be really clean now. Bizarrely, I know DH cleaned it last weekend so can only assume he cleaned around it?!