How do you feel when you whine about having to something, and another person says: ‘Meh, I’ll do it‘?

Having someone offer to do something for you that they have never done before is a very adventurous experience, because it can go in two very different directions.

For one, the person could be very bad at it, of course—and second, they could make your life better by finding out they have an innate talent for it (or have secretly been an expert at it all along).

You probably already played this game of ‘whine-and-decline’ at some point, by which I mean complain about having to do something until someone else offers to do it for you. It’s a pretty anxiety-inducing game to play at first, but one that you get used to play anyway.

I suggest you don’t stop there though. It’s also an idea to try this game out together with your loved ones; and especially your boyfriend.

Why?—Because like any good girlfriend, you want to encourage your boyfriend to do things around the house! And like any tired girlfriend, you’re willing to say whatever it takes for him do said stuff more often, such as:

*

[At the dinner table]

“I did the dishes!” he says.

The girlfriend takes a bite off the plate and moves the food around in her mouth. “Mmm, yeah—I can also taste the dinner we had yesterday on them! Hm…I wouldn’t have thought to pair day-old dried-up plate pasta with today’s fries; and look, if you are a bit patient, the heat coming off the fries does soften the crusted tomato sauce just enough that you can use it as a chunky, slightly sour dip. It’s…artisanal.” She pauses for a moment and looks up at him. “So, did you use any soap?”

“Oh, yeah, I washed my hands with the bar of soap beforehand,” he says.

“Dish soap.”

“Dish soap? Haha, why would I use dish soap? I washed the plates. Dish soap is for dishes.”

“I think you should give it a try…”

*

[The following day; at the table]

“Hey honey, how’re the plates? Better, right?”

“Mhm!” she chews.

“I used the dish soap!” He says and wiggles his eyebrows.

“The lemon one?”

“Yeah!”

“Mm, good one, babe—though, it does take a little away from the profile of the risotto..”

“Have you seen the cat, by the way? I can’t find it anywhere.”

“It’s with my sister.”

“Awhh…I miss it! It keeps me company while I do the dishes.”

“Yup, I—,” she sticks out her tongue and stats to fish something off it with her fingers. “…I know.”