Mikhaylovsk family on «Honey, I Quit»
A Mikhaylovsk family participates in the Yu channel reality «Honey, I Quit», confronting household roles.
The heroes of the latest episode of the show «Honey, I Quit» were the Damanov family from Mikhaylovsk (Stavropol Krai, Russia), who live in their own private house. Dad Andrey, mom Klavdiya, and three children: seven-year-old Lev, five-year-old Teya, and three-year-old Ksyusha. As often happens in this program, the head of the family believes there is nothing difficult about household chores. Did his wife’s absence change anything?
The reality show leaves fathers alone with their children and household responsibilities. Categorical men who see no difficulty in laundry, cleaning, cooking, and raising kids face reality — sleep deprivation, fatigue, a shortage of time, and, most importantly, the realization of how hard the daily routine is.
«Housekeeping — laundry and cleaning — should be assigned to the woman. My job is much harder; I’m constantly doing physical labor, out in the heat, while she’s at home under the AC. So she shouldn’t be telling me it’s hard for her», Andrey said at the beginning of the episode.
For a long time the head of the household couldn’t fulfill his wife’s requests to install a sink, assemble furniture, fix the dishwasher, and the like. He believed that “women’s duties” are simple, and that only a man has the right to be tired.
Self-realization? Never heard of it
While the father worked in his own workshop, the mother of three didn’t waste time either. Though she didn’t return from maternity leave to her job at the anti-hail service (weather protection unit), Klavdiya took up Tarot readings, released her own course, and began studying to become a psychologist.
When a client came to see her and the little daughter began distracting her, Klavdiya asked the father to watch the child, but he kept sitting on the couch and later said: «She’s constantly complaining that she’s tired from housework. What I don’t understand is why she has the strength and time for Tarot, but complains about housework». Apparently, Andrey had never heard of self-realization.
In addition, Klavdiya noted that she pays for some things herself, yet her husband never misses a chance to reproach her over money. Tired of endless quarrels and misunderstandings, the wife applied to the show.
Flour apocalypse and night fishing
Under the project’s rules, Klavdiya went on a three-day break, and Andrey stayed home with the kids. He was given two lists of tasks: the first — everyday household chores, the second — assignments to build closer bonds with the children. He can call his wife only once. If he handles the challenges, the family will receive 200,000 rubles ($2,000 at current rates).
«I think that without Klava I’ll manage one hundred percent — everything will be great. Whatever the situation, we’ll solve it», Andrey said as he saw his wife off.
Although he tried to project confidence, his irritation was still noticeable. He had no idea what awaited him next…
The children spread flour throughout the house while their father left for a neighbor.
Within the first hours, the father went to a neighbor for work matters, and the children scattered flour all over the house. But that was only the beginning. In just one day of his wife’s absence, Andrey caused an at-home apocalypse, nearly cost the kids their fingers in the workshop when he took them with him to work, froze them on a night fishing trip, and let down a relative by refusing to take her sons for an overnight stay.
«I dream of just lying down and sleeping»
On day two, Andrey faced an imposing list of tasks. While he walked over to the neighbor’s, the kids smeared ketchup on the sofa. For the record, he didn’t manage to clean it right away.
«My brain is wired more for doing some men’s work. On an intuitive level, it just sets me off», Andrey said.
Another assignment for dad was to treat the yard for pests. What to spray and with what he didn’t know, of course, since the vegetable garden — “that’s also a woman’s duty”. In the end he drenched the tomatoes with poison.
In the evening the situation worsened because two more children were brought over for a sleepover, and together they again threw food on the floor. Not a single item from the lists was completed all day, but the head of the family nearly poisoned the children, possibly ruined a bedspread in the fight against ketchup, and got a kitten despite knowing his wife is allergic. «I dream of just lying down and sleeping», is how the second day without his wife ended.
«My arms and legs are already falling off — and my back most of all»
On the third day, dad needed to take the children to trial classes: Lev — to sports, Teya — to dance, and Ksyusha — to a developmental lesson. But even here he barely coped.
«You have to get to one place on time, then the second, there are traffic jams, then a third place. When you’ve dropped off the third child, you need to pick up the first. My arms and legs are already falling off — and, most of all, my back — because I’m constantly lifting the kids out of the car. It’s just some kind of hellish labor», Andrey said.
The adventures didn’t end there: the kids put spoons in the microwave and nearly started a fire. After that, the hero’s nerves gave out, and he decided to call his wife. Apparently the sound of his beloved’s voice gave him strength. Now he understood how hard it is to be a mom and carry everything on your shoulders.
Metal spoons placed in a microwave sparked and nearly caused a dangerous kitchen fire.
The final hours before Klavdiya’s return were busy: her husband decided to do everything he hadn’t managed in previous days. He took the children for tests, bought groceries, installed a sink, put everyone to bed, cleaned the house, assembled furniture, and even organized a romantic date for his wife.
Andrey prepared a romantic evening to welcome Klavdiya home after the three-day challenge.
Klavdiya was pleasantly shocked — her husband had handled everything. She came home to a clean house, all tasks completed, and later the couple attended a pottery master class. Their efforts paid off: the family received a prize of 200,000 rubles ($2,000 at current rates) for Andrey’s endurance and for completing everything on the list.
«We’ll still have women’s and men’s duties, but we’ll revise that chore list so it’s easier for you, so we can spend our evenings together in mutual understanding», the head of the family said at the end of the show.
