By Tessa Adams of FamilyFootnote
Yes, you read that right. In Salina, Kansas, a life was changed by one husband’s suggestion that his wife was overreacting. Since the moment her husband Todd brought this solution to her attention, Gina Bobeck’s life has turned a strict 180 degrees.
“It’s like until he said that to me, I didn’t realize that I might be overreacting. His solution was so simple, yet so complex. When he said, ‘Honey, you just need to calm down,’ all of my worries and responsibilities melted away like butter on a hot knife.
“I no longer obsessed about preparing a week’s worth of dinners on Sunday night, bathing the children happened or it didn’t, keeping up with laundry took a backseat to my sanity, walking the dogs became optional, and I no longer cared about keeping the household in order,” explained 38-year-old Gina Bobeck.
Since her husband’s solution to stress was so profound, Gina decided to let other responsibilities fall away as well. She stopped cleaning out backpacks, pulling weeds, buying groceries, filling the car with gas, grooming her children, and shaving her legs. His initial suggestion of calming down became instrumental in her maintaining a stress-free existence.
Gina realized her mental load had been so great that she missed out on the simple things, like hot coffee, 8 hours of sleep, uninterrupted bathroom breaks, and leisurely walks. When she “calmed down” and took a look around, she realized life was much easier this way.
When the couple was questioned weeks later, they found a very different Gina. And a very different Todd, for that matter. Since someone had to pick up the slack for Gina’s new relaxed existence, Todd was in a frenzied state. In fact, it became difficult for any of our reporters to get a statement out of him.
While Gina was resting poolside by the dilapidated water table, sipping her apple juice, Todd was in what some would refer to as the fetal position, rocking back and forth. He began mumbling words like, “laundry,” “showers,” “no time,” “dinner,” and “PTO.”
When news outlets were able to get his attention and ask him what was wrong, he raised his voice so suddenly that we had no choice but to ask him to calm down.
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About the Author
Tessa A. Adams is a graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Master’s in reading. She is a language arts and creative writing teacher and is the co-author of the blog www.familyfootnote.com. She has three children and when she is not mothering or teaching, she is writing. Her work can be found in Fine Lines Literary Journal, Empty Sink Publishing, Route 7 Review, and xoJane Magazine.