Men build houses, build homes

Put aside personal preferences

Originally a sports enthusiast, especially football, but after getting married, teacher Le Trong Luc, a teacher at Cam Vu Secondary School (Cam Giang, Hai Duong) temporarily put aside his personal interests to spend time taking care of his wife and children. His wife is a bank employee, often having to go on business trips away from home. Therefore, Mr. Luc takes on most of the household chores, from taking his 19-month-old daughter to school to preparing dinner for the whole family.

"I understand my wife's work, so I always try to share everything. My wife and I got married and moved out, without support from both sets of grandparents. If I don't work hard, my wife will be under a lot of pressure, and the family needs peace and understanding to be happy," Luc shared.

Instead of playing sports with colleagues or going out drinking after work, Mr. Luc always prioritizes going home early to help his wife take care of the housework and children. It is because of this sharing that his home is always filled with laughter.

Not having a fixed working time like Mr. Luc, Mr. Nguyen Chinh Khoa, 34 years old, director of a pharmaceutical company in Thanh Ha, is often busy with business. However, for him, family is always the top priority.

"Although I am busy, I always try to arrange my work so that I can spend time with my wife and children. My wife also does business, so we both understand and sympathize with each other. I always take the initiative to share the housework so that my wife does not feel overloaded," said Mr. Khoa.

Although he is a meticulous and serious businessman in society, when he comes home, Mr. Khoa does not hesitate to cook, clean the house, and take care of the children. Not only that, he also often takes the whole family on trips, organizes experiential activities for his children, helping to strengthen family ties.

Modern day 'single father'

While Mr. Luc and Mr. Khoa are men who share housework with their wives, Mr. Doan Manh Thiep in Hai Duong City has been almost single-handedly taking on the role of "housekeeper" for the past 3 years. His wife, Ms. Thanh, is a manager at a company in Hai Phong and often has to stay at work and come home on weekends.

"The older child is 12 years old this year, and the younger child is only 5 years old. The three of us live together like three real men. Every day is a challenge for me, but it is also a joy to see our children grow up day by day. If my wife had stayed at home like before, I would never have understood her hardships of having to work and take care of our children," Thiep shared.

Although he works freelance and has flexible hours, the clumsiness of a man in the role of a housewife is still inevitable. Many times, neighbors have to remind and help when they see the two children wearing the wrong father's shirt or Mr. Thiep struggling with the dishes. However, he always tries to give his children a full life, not feeling the lack of love from their mother when he is away from home. The two boys gradually get used to the scene of the three of them taking care of each other and are always obedient and diligent in studying.

The above stories are just a few small but meaningful pieces of the puzzle about the changes of men in the new era. If in the past, society only required them to earn money, now their role in the family has expanded a lot. Men not only need to build a career but also have to share family responsibilities with their wives, take care of the children and keep the fire burning in the home.

In the past, our grandparents believed that "Men build houses, women build homes", meaning that men worry about making money and building careers, while women take on the role of taking care of the family and children. But times change, society develops, women are no longer just stuck in the kitchen but also participate in social work, contributing to economic development. That also sets a new requirement, men not only build houses but also need to join hands to build homes.

After all, no matter how spacious a house is, if it lacks the care, love and companionship of both husband and wife, it is just four mechanical walls. But if in that house, there is the caring hands of both husband and wife, the laughter of children, sharing and understanding, then it is truly a complete home.