Why I Cook and Do the Dishes

If I go out in the evening after dinner, the last thing I want to do is come home to a kitchen where the dishes are all put away, the table is wiped off, and the dishwasher is humming. Why? Because that means that a good chunk of my husband's precious time with the kids has gone down the drain, literally. I'd much rather come home to all the dirty dishes and see four beaming children who have been wrestling with their papa and reading books all evening. I can do the dishes after everyone else is asleep. The time is actually pretty nice. It's quiet. I can think any old thought I want to, and even remember what the thought was 30 seconds later. And I can think about Eli's face as he proudly shows me how papa fixed a broken toy. Who cares about the mess? :)