Martin was an arrogant man who constantly mocked his wife, Shannon, for not being able to handle the responsibilities of both work and the home. He would criticize her, calling her lazy and useless. Little did he know that karma would soon come knocking, teaching him a tough lesson he would never forget.
Shannon Miles, a hardworking woman, thought she could manage both her job and her home when she had her first child, Claire. At first, everything seemed fine, and Shannon was able to juggle her career and her responsibilities as a mom like a pro.
But things changed when Shannon gave birth to twins, Lucas and Justin.
Suddenly, her life was filled with exhaustion and chaos. Raising three kids while also trying to work was incredibly hard. Because she was constantly stretched thin, Shannon began making mistakes.
Sometimes she would burn breakfast, other times she’d forget to turn off the iron, and on occasion, she even burned the clothes while ironing.
But Martin, her husband, didn’t show any sympathy. Instead, he became more and more frustrated with Shannon, criticizing her for everything that went wrong. “You can’t even get a simple breakfast right!” he would yell.
If there were dirty dishes, he blamed her. If toys were left on the floor, it was her fault. No matter what happened, Martin found a way to blame her. He even taunted her, “I can’t believe you’re the same woman I fought with my mom to marry!”
Shannon felt hurt by his words, but she didn’t want to fight or cause problems in the family. She kept quiet, choosing to endure the insults for the sake of her children. However, Martin’s behavior became unbearable.
One evening, when the twins were celebrating their first birthday, Shannon was in the twins’ room trying to put them to sleep. The noise from Martin’s shouting made it nearly impossible. The babies started crying from the commotion. Shannon rushed out of the room, feeling frustrated.
“Martin, what the hell is wrong with you? Can’t you keep your mouth shut? Claire just fell asleep, and now I’m having a hard time getting Lucas and Justin to sleep!” she snapped.
Martin smirked sarcastically. “Having a hard time? That’s your job, Shannon. You’re supposed to do all this. After all, you don’t work, do you?”
Shannon’s frustration boiled over. “Really, Martin? Stop acting like you’re doing so much for this family! I take care of everything at home—laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning—and you can’t even help!”
Martin wasn’t having it. “I’m not here to listen to your feminist speech, Shannon. After you put the kids to bed, make sure the dishes are done. I’m exhausted, so I’m going to bed. The last thing I want to see in the morning is a stinky kitchen!” he said, pointing angrily at the pile of dishes in the sink.
Shannon was beside herself. “You can’t be serious, Martin! How can you expect me to do everything alone? I’m already cooking, taking care of the kids, and cleaning. Can’t you help me just once?”
Martin laughed. “Help? It’s your job, Shannon. Maybe you should do it properly for once,” he retorted before storming off to bed.
Shannon stood there, trembling with exhaustion and frustration. She tried to speak again, but her vision blurred. “Martin, I haven’t even had time to eat today. Can you…?” But before she could finish, she felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.
The sound of the falling vase broke the silence and alerted Martin. When he saw Shannon lying unconscious, his face twisted in confusion. “Shannon, get up! Come on, stop pretending! This isn’t funny!” he shouted.
But Shannon didn’t respond. Panic set in. Martin dialed 911 and rushed to get a glass of water, splashing it on her face. She didn’t wake up. He quickly called their neighbor, Mrs. Cameron, to look after the kids while he waited for the ambulance.
Time felt like it stood still as he waited for help to arrive. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the paramedics arrived. Martin rushed out with Shannon in his arms, his heart racing with worry. The doctors explained that Shannon had collapsed from exhaustion and would need to be monitored for a while.
Later that night, after a long and emotional day, Martin returned home. In the kitchen, he stepped on the broken pieces of the vase. As he bent down to pick them up, something caught his eye—a note on the floor. It was Shannon’s to-do list. He picked it up and began reading it:
5:00 a.m. – Get up!
5:30 a.m. – Shower and prepare Claire’s school bag.
6:00 a.m. – Feed the twins. Claire should be awake by now.
7:00 a.m. – Wake Martin up (Why can’t he get up on his own?)
7:30 a.m. – Start breakfast.
8:00 a.m. – Claire’s school bus arrives.
8:15 a.m. – Iron Martin’s clothes and pack his lunch.
9:00 a.m. – Martin leaves for work (Free time for Shannon!).
10:00 a.m. – Relax… but only for a short time! Feed the babies and clean up.
12:00 p.m. – Lunch.
1:00 p.m. – Claire comes back from school.
2:00 p.m. – Claire’s tutoring.
3:00 p.m. – Pick up Claire.
4:00 p.m. – Bake cookies for Claire.
5:00 p.m. – Start preparing dinner.
6:00 p.m. – Martin comes home. Babies should be asleep by now.
7:00 p.m. – Have dinner.
8:00 p.m. – Spend time with Martin.
8:30 p.m. – Clean the dishes.
9:00 p.m. – Laundry and prepare for tomorrow.
10:00 p.m. – Read a book (if you’re not dead tired!).
“You can do it, Shannon,” the note ended with a motivational message.
Martin was stunned. He couldn’t believe how packed Shannon’s day was. From the moment she woke up to the moment she finally had a chance to rest, she was always busy. No wonder she was always exhausted.
No wonder she couldn’t keep up! And here he was, constantly yelling at her for not doing enough. Martin felt a wave of guilt wash over him.
The next day, Martin decided to step into Shannon’s shoes. He took a day off from work and tried to follow her to-do list. The reality hit him hard. He woke up at 10 a.m., missing half the tasks already.
The rest of the day was a disaster—burnt toast for breakfast, a forgotten lunch for Claire, and a disastrous dinner that ended up being saltless soup.
After a miserable attempt at being a homemaker, Martin realized how wrong he had been. His wife was doing the impossible every day, and he had never appreciated it.
The next time he visited Shannon in the hospital, he brought her favorite flowers as an apology. He gently handed them to her, his voice filled with regret. “I’m sorry, babe. I should never have been so harsh. The doctors said you fainted because of exhaustion. I see now how hard you’ve been working.”
Shannon, surprised by his kindness, asked, “Are you okay, Martin? I mean…”
He stepped forward, embracing her. “Of course, I’m okay. I just… I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I love you.”
Shannon, taken aback by his unexpected warmth, smiled. “I love you too, honey,” she replied softly, feeling a sense of relief.
From that moment on, Martin changed. He hired a nanny to help Shannon with the kids and, on weekends when the nanny was off, he did his part with the housework. Finally, after all this time, Martin understood that being a homemaker was not an easy job. It was tough, demanding, and worthy of respect.
What can we learn from this story?
We can’t understand someone’s struggles until we walk in their shoes. Martin only realized the weight of Shannon’s responsibilities when he tried to manage everything for a day—and failed miserably.
Respecting each other’s roles is essential, no matter what job someone has. Everyone’s work, big or small, is valuable.
What do you think of this story? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
