Good with tools, useless with towels

Hello everyone, I've been away.  As in really away, not just away from this blog.  Posted a few holiday snaps here:  LINK.  Holiday was AWESOME. I just chilled and read and ate and drank. Was amazing.  Hope you had a good holiday too.

On to today's topic.  Yesterday I posted this status update on Facebook (FB is the reason I dont blog - it's so much easier just to pop things up on there instead coming all the way here):

And I meant it, I am v fond of my husband (despite my VERY occasional little moan about him) and he really is damn good at DIY.  Partly because he was taught by his dad and has the right tools, but mostly because he is extremely hard working, extremely determined and some might say a little stubborn.  He will do it until he gets it right / fixes it / builds it or breaks it down.  This (determination) is his best and worst quality (stubborn).  

However, a lot of that fond feeling diminished last night when I walked into the bathroom and noticed he had used the WRONG towel.  We have been married for 13 years, which means I have being training him for THIRTEEN years in the towel system and still he doesn't get it.  Talk about being a S L O W learner.

He doesn't seem to be able to grasp the concept that there are different towels for different things. There are my towels and his towels. This is the most important and basic rule and should not be difficult to understand.  Then there are different types of towels based on their FUNCTION.  Not on their looks.  Just because a towel looks the same doesn't mean it is the same.  There are hair towels, hand towels, guest towels, kitchen towels (sub-divided into counter towels, floor towels and drying towels), there are night towels and day towels.  Beach towels and kids towels.  IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO FOLLOW!!

Yesterday I washed most of the towels and made the fatal mistake of not putting them back in the bathroom.  (Although there were towels in the cupboard, they just weren't hanging on the towel racks).  

Last night as I walked into the bathroom I saw with horror that he had used my day towel to dry himself. OMG!!  He used MY towel, my DAY towel to dry himself at NIGHT!!!!  Why doesn't he just cut my heart out and stamp all over it.

(And it isn't just last night, the previous night I saw him dry his mouth on my HAIR towel!!!)

I was too upset last night to talk about it but this morning I asked him why he had done this to me, why he had used the WRONG towel and why after 13 years he still could not get the towel system right.  He said 'what system? I need a towel, I see a towel close by, I use it.  That's my system'.

No respect.  

He might be good at DIY but he is useless at towels.  The only way for me to cope is to ensure that there is always a towel hanging on his towel rack and to train him that that is the only towel he is ever to use.  If the towel rack is empty, do NOT use your initiative and try figure the system out yourself. Call for help. I will hand the correct towel to you.

Men. Can't live with them, can't kill the effers either.  

(And this is the reason why I married this man and why I am still married to him, because he is the only man I have ever met who absolutely does not take my arb shit. And I can be just a little bit full of shit. Although he always takes my serious shit seriously. I do love him. A lot)

Comments

[Jenn (Student Mom)]

13 years? Seriously?? You're still under the impression that you can fix him after 13 years???
It's time to give up. Your sanity requires that you give up.
Or at least divert....
He is not towel trainable. He is MAN (clearly indicated by his excellence in DIY). MAN is no good at towels!
Here's the diversion plan - every time he uses the wrong towel, you get to buy an expensive bottle of Chardonnay. The good quality bottle. No less than R85.00. (At least his towel failure will be put to good use!!!).

[Kate]

I understand all the differences between the towels, except for the day and night towels. What is the difference between a day towel and a night towel?

[Sian]

I am so relieved to read this, because I have many times been beyond enraged when my boyfriend uses my towels. I have two sets of a different color than any other towel in the house for myself, he can use ANY other towel, and some days he still uses mine. I was beginning to wonder if I was truly unreasonable.

[Rachel]

I'm with Marko. I have two types of towels: gross-looking cleaning rags, and towels I use for everything else. Given, the washcloth-sized towels are quite small to use after a shower, but if someone wanted to use one as a bath towel, I wouldn't be bothered.

If it were important to my wife though, I would try to follow a towel system.

[Nangera]

very funny (i mean the way you wrote the article)

thanks

[RocketGrl]

I never realized that I have quite a few types of towels. However, there is only one thing I really want my hubby to learn: Put any wet towel back on the towel rack. Not on the floor, not on the bed, not on my pillow, not on wood, and not over the door. Just on the towel rack in HIS bathroom.

[Marisol]

I hear you girl; I have been telling my husband what dates/times the city collects garbage (recycable, tree trimmings, organic, etc) for 2 years and he still asks EVERY Sunday: "what garbage container do I have to take out today??" ... But REALLY, do you have a towel system?? what is a night towel? no wonder you are always busy, busy, busy. There is a lot of shit to keep up with... :-)

[Questions and Answers]

I couldn't help but laugh. please pardon me for the laughter. Not to sound defensive though but believe me when I say that men have got a lot on their minds and learning a towel system is the least on that "to do list". Unless the situation poses a danger to a loved one, men are not going to easily commit to learning the intricacies of a harmless towel system.