"Dual" parenting

Recently, I couldn't help but laughed at the different parenting styles hubby and I had.

Earlier this week, I was in the kitchen busy getting the dinner ready for everyone. I realised we have ran out of bread and juice, and so I got hubby to do a quck dash to the shop. My hubby is not the best behaved person when it comes to groceries shopping, he will buy a lot of extra bits along the way, ie. chips, crackers, little treats for JD...which I am trying very hard to cut down in our pantry.

So, upon arriving home from his little trip for OJ and bread, hub proudly and happily flashed out a box of Cheese in a Biskit from the shopping bag and guess what, JD has only had a spoonful of the home-made chicken n mushroom pie and wanted to go straight for the biscuits instead. In one split second, all my efforts were gone, all overtaken by a flimsy looking carton box of biscuits, with little nutritional value, high in salt and flavouring, little protein and carbo...argggggggh! Compared to my golden crust top home made pie, that just wasn't "marketable" enough.

My face turned as black as my mom's 30+ yo wok and you know my spiel from then on...

As I told my friend of the story, we couldn't help but to laugh at the differences between Mars and Venus.

Venus - Upon finishing work, we jumped into the car, driving along to pick up the kid from daycare, we are already planning what to make for dinner. As we arrived at daycare, we talked to the carer, how the child behaved, what he did, if he had a nap, if he went to the toilet, bla bla bla. On the way home we talked to the child about what he did during the day and then we told the hubby what the child got up to when he comes home later on. See, always thinking of someone else, huh huh!!!!

Upon arriving home, we normally (and usually) put the bags down in a designated spot, changed into casual clothes, tie the hair up and start getting the dinner ready. The child get a quick snack (a healthy one) like a juice and some small pieces of fruits. Then dinner time, then bath time, then story time and lights out for the kid by 8pm! Yes, run like a military school!

Mars - Finished work late, got to daycare late. Ring the wife up while driving and then asked the wife to inform daycare he will be late. Point deduction here already. Upon arriving at daycare, that is if he gets there before daycare closes, the child will just get collected, hopefully the right child. As for conversation with the carer - none!

Upon arriving home, bags would land itself wherever it feels like, and the MAN will head straight to the pantry, look for snacks (a NOT healthy one), plonk himself in front of the TV watching the latest news. Wife gets home later, and dinner not done, kid still in daycare clothes, not shower, not eaten. And by the time dinner, bath, story time is over, it is way way past bedtime!

Me -
I love routine
I think kids love routine
I like things done by a set time
I hate mess

Him-
He hates routine
He thinks I am too rigid
He loves taking time to "smell the roses"
He ignores mess

Why did they say "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?" Arghhhhhh!