Partnership and Teamwork

The honeymoon is over. You've settled into living side by side. His toothbrush beside your toothbrush. The happy ever after begins.

You're together for good. Permanently. Although you each have your own cars, you have several of his CDs playing in yours. Partnership.

From now on it is not just he and me, it is us.

Partnership.

So now there is a load of excitement about setting up this thing called home together. Yes together.

Up until now maybe it didn't matter who cooked. And when. Maybe it didn't matter at all that clothes were left in a heap on the chair in the bedroom. But now, somehow something happened and it does matter.

You still have commitments. He still has his. By coming together, there is two now of everything. Everything.
 
Potentially twice is much hair in the shower drain. Twice as much skin cells floating on and in the carpet. Yes, more dust, more mess. More cleaning.

Oh, then throw into the mix a child for good measure. Way to go, you two! Slap on the back, big silly smiles, perhaps a cigar with all the new granddads.
You helped create another human being. Unique. Special. Treasured.

You are more tired that you ever thought possible. You are cranking out the washing faster than you can turn the actual machine on.

Ceramic plates are fast being replaced by paper plates.

Watching your husband/partner/ other half shave in the morning, because it was cute and super sexy, no longer appeals at all.

Wisps of hair in the sink are now simply a source of tremendous irritation.

More than skin cells are floating on and in the carpet. Potting training has exposed to you the human-ness of human-ness.

Depending on how many children you have, the cycle can and does repeat. Again. And again. And again.

You just want sleep. Now. Lots of it.

Spills. Spills. And more spills. The carpet. The bathroom. Anywhere and everywhere. Will the stains EVER come out?

You just want sleep. Now. Lots of it.

The once slim and trim you, may have skipped merrily down the path and waved goodbye.

You just want sleep. Now. Lots of it.

Partnership and teamwork. Who needs it? You need it. Partnership and teamwork. Who needs it? He needs it.

Regardless of whether you are a double income family or a single income family, this unique community of people that are gathered together in your household need partnership and teamwork.

They need collaboration. They need compromise. They need objective dialogue to occur about the structure, nature and system of organization that is put into place to make the home a haven for all it's occupants.

Health and well-being require meals to be had. Health and well-being require bathing, showering and other means of maintaining personal hygiene. The daily experiences of daily life involve feeding, clothing, cleaning, educating, resting and connecting.

All of this occurs primarily in the home environment, and requires partnership to make it happen, so that there is no burn-out, no exhaustion, no burden resting solely on one individual household member.

Partnership is incredibly hard work. It requires time. It requires the sacrifice of time. Partnership requires energy.

Lots of it.

Partnership within a home, and amongst household members, manifests itself in co-operative and collaborative teamwork.

It can take the form of designated jobs and roles. It can take the form of playing tag so to speak. That is, taking turns at particular tasks that just need someone, anyone, to pick them up and run with them.

Objective dialogue, a willingness to practically follow through on a verbal agreement, exemplify partnership and a willingness to be on team; focused on the overall best for the team of people involved. It is the playing out in real time, the reality of where your relationship is at.

If one person is in charge of cooking the meals, they put time and thought into it. Thought for the care, the nurture, the health that those meals will provide for those they will indeed nourish.

Partnership is about being real and being functional through making time, applying energy, to see your contribution come to pass.

Partnership exhibits itself in routine activity being carried out, no matter how repetitive, simply for the good for all.

It shows itself in the agreed number of vaccumings of the house carpet being literally carried out each week. Partnership shows itself in the planning ahead of the annual or twice annual shampooing of the home carpet.

Partnership shows itself in responsibility and accountability for the specific task allocated.

Partnership shows its presence, or absence literally within the walls of the domestic environment very quickly.

Need to have the shower, bathroom, toilet cleaned? Dialogue about the expected standard and means of cleaning required on a weekly basis. Dialogue about the deep cleaning required, and how often it should occur.

The truth of the actual level of partnership and teamwork being taken on board and engaged in, will show itself in the commitment to follow through on both the regular clean requirements and the occasional deep cleaning requirements.

Why you may ask?

Natural consequences kick in.

So the bathroom has not had much attention lately from the designated household member. Time restraints, energy restraints, all contribute to the priorty of the regular maintenance of this area falling behind.

Over time, the lack of regular attention triggers a bigger outcome - a blocked outlet. The grottiest of outcomes has come to roost.

Partnership and teamwork involves facing up to the good, the bad and the ugly for the good of the team, the overall benefit of both oneself and others.

It involves going in and making a difference, sometime sacrificially, simply because it is time to do so.

Partnership and teamwork involves being real about the consequences of taking on responsibility and accountability.

It is about putting your big girl pants on. It is about manning up. Partnership and teamwork involve getting on with it and getting it done, for the good of all, to keep things functional and orderly.

Partnership and teamwork make a difference.

Again and again, daily partnership. Regular engagement in colloborative, co-operative teamwork makes a difference.

Things can and do function better with sound, committed, accountable and responsible partnership and teamwork.

Partnership is the friendly face of compromise and negotiation. It is a willingness to be on team, to do what will help all parties. What will help the team. Our team.

Partnership is about win:win and not about her and me, or him and I. Partnership is about us. Our team. Our household. Our home.

It involves setting up and taking on board mutually agreed and carried out household logistics. Partnership and teamwork keep household logistics real and very functional.