A stay-at-home mum has sparked a debate online after revealing she gets up every morning at 4.30am to make her husband breakfast.
Brooke Smith, a mother-of-four from Brisbane, Australia, has been hit with claims she’s living a ‘50s lifestyle’ after sharing her daily routine in a Mums Who Cook, Clean and Organise Facebook group.
Some have called her dedication to the household ‘inspiring’, while others have criticised the lack of balance in the household, saying others should pull their weight.
Brooke explained in the Facebook post that she doesn’t go to sleep at night before certain tasks are done – even it means staying up until midnight.
The full post reads:
I always make sure I don’t go to bed until everyone’s lunches are packed, their clothes are set out for the next day including my husband’s and the house is clean, dishwasher is on and load of washing is on.
Sometimes it means I get to bed at nine, sometimes that means I get to bed at midnight, but I always get up early (04:30 with my husband to make his breakfast and coffee) to make time for me to have a hot coffee and do my hair and get a little peace and quiet and meditation and exercise in, and do my face for the day.
A happy mum equals a happy household. Do it even when you feel like not doing it because you’ll be happy for it the next day.
The household is a well-oiled machine, with Brooke tirelessly keeping things spick and span while her husband works five to six days a week in construction.
One user commended Brooke for her efforts, but added: ‘You do need to share the workload, especially as you get older, teach the kids so that they know how to when they leave home. It does give great satisfaction – tidy house, tidy mind.’
Others were much harsher, with one writing: ‘My mum used to do this for my dad. Dad was born in 1929 and mum was born in 1931. It’s currently 2020. My husband does his own washing, my kids make their own breakfast.’
However, Brooke hasn’t taken much notice of the critics. Along with her husband’s construction career and keeping the house in tip-top shape, the couple also run an MMA gym and breed American Bulldogs.
Brooke told the Courier Mail: ‘I think that for us taking the traditional male and female roles on in our households creates a happy family… everyone has something that works for them, and this is what works for us.’
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.