Dear Queenie,
My husband and I did not live together before we got married, so I never knew what a messy person he is. He tracks in all kinds of dirt and leaves things lying around and never picks them up.
I have asked him to be more careful and to pick up after himself, but he just won’t bother to do it, so I end up cleaning up after him.
Queenie, is there anything I can do about this?—Disgusted Wife
Dear Wife,
Did you never visit his home before you married him? What was it like? Surely you would have noticed if it had been as messy as you say he makes things, so (unless he was living with his parents and his mother did all the cleaning up) maybe he hired someone to clean for him.
If you can afford it, hiring a cleaner may be the solution you are looking for. And if he does other things for you than cleaning up, consider it a fair trade and try not to let his messiness irritate you so much.
