No one can be immune from criticism and sometimes that can be a good thing because it helps one grow and change for the better. However, in an era filled with people hiding behind screens and offering their unsolicited harsh opinions about another person, criticism has become a form of shaming.
Clint Edwards, the brains behind No Idea What I'm Doing: A Daddy Blog and father of three, is making sure that people think twice before they criticize by penning a thoughtful post following a conversation he had with his mother.
Edwards was caught off guard when his mother innocently asked if it bothered him that his wife, Mel, "won't keep a cleaner house?" so he didn't have an answer ready. Instead, he gave the question some thought and after a few moments of silence he gave a response that definitely got him a nomination for "husband of the year."
While Edwards' mom asked the question out of curiosity, he felt that it was important to let her know that maintaining a tidy house is easier said than done and it is not the sole responsibility of his wife. Like most moms with small children, Mel has lots of responsibilities to juggle and maintaining a guest-ready home places low on her list.
The doting father later took to his blog and Facebook to share a candid note defending his wife against his mother and it has been going viral for all the right reasons.
So what did he say exactly?
"I see our marriage as a partnership, so cleaning is as much my responsibility as it is hers," Edwards wrote. "I will admit, though, there is often kid clutter, dishes in the sink, and half finished art projects on the counters. I will also admit, it isn't as clean as my mother's home, but that doesn't bother me. In fact, I don't really think about that at all."
He added that he understood his mother's concerns because of the baby boom generation she grew up in, which placed a clean house very high on the list of a married woman's responsibilities.
He continued: "I didn't know my father all that well, but I do remember him giving me this advice about picking a wife: 'Stop by her house unexpected. See how it looks in there. You can tell a lot about a woman by how she keeps her house.'"
Unlike his father, Edwards prioritized other qualities when he married his wife.
"I thought about how I liked what she had to say," he wrote. "I thought about how she made me feel. I thought about how she smiled a lot. I liked that. I thought about how she was sweet and thoughtful, and how she seemed like the kind of mother I'd want for my children."
While reflecting back on the reasons why Mel is the perfect woman for him, Edwards managed to think of an answer to his mother's question.
"I didn't get into this marriage for a clean house. I got into it because she seemed like someone I could spend my life with," he told her.
As for his mother's reaction? She actually agreed.
"Eventually mom said, 'Well ... that probably is more important than a clean house.' 'Yeah,' I said, 'I think so too.'"
Edwards' post resonated with so many people and has since racked up nearly 6,000 likes. You can read the entire post here.
Do you think Edward nailed his response? Let us know!