Thank_God_for_the_Usa

Marry a Portuguese man' Never! Growing up with six men around at all times, my dad, grandpa and four brothers, I learned that really quick. Portuguese men tend to have an understanding that women are to cook, clean and wait on them hand and foot at their disposal. I watched this go on for years in my household as well as around me as a youngster. “Mom I want this, Grandma I need that” my brother’s you’d bellow. I watched the women run in circles to make sure all was done before the men arrived from work each night. They made sure the clothes were washed, hung to dry and folded or ironed, groceries were shopped for and put away properly, the house was spotless, floors were swept and mopped and even the sidewalks were scrubbed daily. Of course dinner was ready and the table was set. Dad always got the head of the table and he and the other men got first servings of the meal, and only when they had plenty to eat, would we girls be allowed to get our helping, as mom always had soup, bread and butter to fall back on, in case we ran out of the main course. Upon moving to the United States, I find it safe to say “culture shock” to at least my brothers, as my father and grandfather were much to accustomed to their behavior and daily routine to change it, after all, they were the epitome to the idiom “you can’t teach an old dog, new tricks”. I watched my mom and grandma work fulltime jobs and still do all the work they did around the house to make the male types in the household happy. While doing so, they were raising us girls, my three sisters and I, to do the same. I, being the youngest, really wasn’t expected to cook or do the laundry, however, house cleaning was definitely on my list of chores. I was solemnly responsible for floors and bathroom cleaning at all times. They weren’t much fun to do, especially due to the fact that I was only ten and had to do the floors around my brothers, as they sat and enjoyed my favorite programs on Saturday morning cartoons. I especially remember the Smurfs. My brothers were adult ages 23, 25, 28 and 29. I felt as if they were old enough to hold their own and truly had no business still living at home with Mom and Dad. I especially felt that they should not have their baby sister wait on them. As I grew up and was exposed to other cultures, I realized that not every man was raised with this frame of mind. I learned that in others families, men shared in the household duties, as well as some of the men were the stay at home parents, and cooked, cleaned and even did laundry. It was then that I realized that the attitude that women were maids was an attitude learned in the cultural upbringing. Boy was I relieved to know that I really didn’t have to be the only one responsible for cleaning the house, especially when it came to floors.