"If a man expects his wife to do things that mothers do for their children...

“If a man expects his wife to do things that mothers do for their children, like cleaning up after them, doing their laundry, etc., is that mothering him?”

No. That is being a good wife.

Beware of false equivalencies. My wife hugs me; my wife hugs my children; that does not make hugging me mothering. The same applies to domestic chores.

Sadly, women today were not taught what it means to be a mother, let alone how to be a good mother, and that is why they often confuse mothering with basic domestic chores, which are still valuable.

Mothering, however, is so much more than just cooking, cleaning, etc. It is the process of leading a child through the early stages of development, usually from birth to 7 or 9 years old. All the details included in that role are far too much for an X post; however, a course in both fatherhood and motherhood is on my to-do list.

Don’t mother your husband.

When a woman treats her husband like a child in need of her leadership, she is mothering him. This can happen in attitude, words, or actions.

Examples of mothering or infantalizing a husband:

• Giving him a chore list.
• Making him ask permission for anything.
• Giving him rules to follow.
• Childing him when he makes mistakes.
• Correcting him, especially in front of others.
• Constantly doubting him.
• Undermining his decisions.

There are others, but those are the most common ones. Did I miss one? Please let me know in the comments below.