Several things have remained constant throughout my marriage: our love for each other, laughter, unwavering support, and my husband’s clothes being tossed anywhere except the dirty clothes hamper. Any surface is fair game: the bedroom floor, the couch, the floor right next to the hamper, the bannister…you get the picture.

After consulting with friends, family members, and coworkers I’ve come to understand that this is not a unique problem. They all expressed similar concerns that their husbands could not bring themselves to use a hamper either.

And so I present to you, a possible explanation for this behavior…Hamper Phobia. I have no scientific evidence to back this up, but I do have qualitative data that I’ve gathered over the years. It all points to the same conclusion: Hamper Phobia.

Rather than shame them for dropping their clothing right next to the hamper, we should applaud them for getting that close to the item that causes them such dread. Just think of all the time we’ve wasted asking them to do something that they were simply unable to do without experiencing severe distress.

This used to drive me crazy, but I’ve come to accept it. My husband has many great qualities, despite this phobia. Picking up a few (hundred) pairs of discarded socks won’t kill me, but repeating myself sure felt like it might. So, I gave up on this battle. Laundry Hampers aren’t for everyone. Besides, who am I to pass judgement? I have a few phobias of my own 😉

-Just a thought

Written By: SM Grady

© 2018 SM Grady