Who, I mean EXACTLY who can "put the wash on the line, feed the kids, get dressed, pass out the kisses, and get to work by 5 til 9"...AND bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and not let him forget he's a man?! And whoever you are, are you tired?
Frankly, I would have been perfectly fine being the designated bacon frier, but that was never an option for me. I was a single momma at an early age, and Enjoli told me I was supposed to be 'all' to everybody, and look good while I was doing it. It was exhausting, and ego busting to realize that it was impossible to do it all, and what I did get done (a majority of the time) was noot with smile on my face or looking like that model in the commercial
After all these years, I still suffer shame trying to be Miss Enjoli! I work 40+ hours a week in a middle management traveling job (not a career...a j.o.b.), manage our household finances and our small business finances, participate in the small business practice, maneuver logisitics and care for 3 pets, and still try to be a domestic goddess with cooking, cleaning, yard work, extended family needs, etc...and I fail...oh how I fail.
Still I keep trying...and it seems like no one around me notices that Miss Enjoli over here needs a freakin break! Or possibly some medication...a lazy beach vacation with some brewskis would suffice.
Most men I know want their woman to be 'independent' and work outside the realm of the safety of the castle which is perfectly reasonable, except for the fact that they also expect Miss Enjoli to fill out the rest of that independent picture! Well, a few men I know want just the part of her that sings that song, but when an actual decision making determined Enjoli shows up...they decide...ummm never-mind.
Today's Gen X couples (what's left after divorce rates) are unbalanced in several ways...80's children grew up in transition so it's hard to grasp where we fit in. Are we supposed be traditional or modern? Are we supposed to be career minded and spend umpteen hours at the office to climb that tall man ladder or get home in time to make a full meal? And who makes the meal and washes the dishes? Most importantly...who leads?
How are women supposed be independent yet obedient to the man of the house? How is he supposed to be head of the house, and allow her to independently lead her life path?
In my family, my Dad would be inside making tortillas while my Mom mowed the lawn so that just added to my boggled sense of place in a relationship and is probably why I just can't embody that Miss Enjoli character.
The Crazy Lady says: Women, if you're bringing home the bacon, you don't have to play domestic goddess, and Men don't expect Miss Enjoli...she's exhausted, and probably really grouchy...draw boundaries and create guidelines, and share your lives in a way that you both benefit from each others presence. Hell...light some candles, slip into something comfortable, and order that bacon in!
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