Will My Wife’s Domestic Demands Damage My Image? , At first, it was just texts with the usual requests partners send each other—”pick up the dry cleaning”; “we’re out of diapers”; “I’m on my way home”; “could you lay out my slippers?’ Sure, my wife could have asked her PA or the housekeeper. And yes, the tone was a little rude and demanding. But it felt like she was playing at us being a normal couple (rather than two award-winning film actors with a sizeable staff).
And I thought I could detect a hint of domination in there too. I didn’t say anything because I found it sort of sweet and even a little sexy. I should have said something to nip it in the bud — my wife had never before treated me like an underling.
I hoped the whole thing was just a phase — like the time she got into Zumba or started collecting exotic house plants. But then things escalated. She would page me with announcements in public spaces, for the world to hear.
We’d be at my parents’ country club, and I’d hear over the tannoy: “Would Dave (not my real name) help his wife with the bags in the parking lot?” Or at our department store I’d hear: “Dave, please head to the kitchen section — your wife wants you to pick out oven mitts.” Just recently, my wife has taken these demands to a whole new level with cute asks via her socials like “Hey Dave, come home already — the kids are waiting for their bedtime story,” despite the fact we employ two nannies. She h.