Why Suddenly Single was written

Hello everyone:

Having gone through the loss of my mother three years ago, I realized that my father did not know how to do the basic tasks needed to maintain his household. For the past 66.5 years, my mother had done all of the housework. It was his task to maintain the outside of the house when they had a single family house, while she focused on the daily running of the home.

This was pretty typical of women of her generation; even if women worked outside the home, they still saw the home as their responsibility. When Mom died, Dad was left without the knowledge and experience he needed to keep their condo looking good. As the daughter of the family, it quickly became my job to keep his home in Florida clean while also maintaining my own house in Maryland.

My dad is not the only man in this situation. The wife of my Sunday school teacher  fell ill unexpectedly and became unable to take care of her husband and son in the way they were used to. He had never cooked a meal or run the washing machine in the forty-seven years they had been married.

He is a highly intelligent, well-educated man, yet neither he nor their grown son knew how to prepare a simple meal or what they should do to clean the house. Another woman I know has a retired husband and two grown sons who have never made their own beds.  They have no clue about changing sheets; indeed, they once told me that they did not realize that you ever had to wash them!

I was at a wedding reception a few years ago and watched (in horror, I must admit) as a woman was served her meal; she cut everything up on the plate and then traded plates with her husband. Apparently at their house, she was responsible for making it so that her husband never had to pick up his own knife!

This example, true though it is, is a prime example of why my book needed to be written. What would you do as a husband if something happened to your wife and you suddenly had to keep the house clean and tidy?

At the same time, women need to know some basics around the house, as well. Wives, would you know how to handle the various tasks your husband has always completed?

Would you know what had to be done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis?  That is why I am here. Men, my book gives you guidance on how to keep the spider webs at bay, the kitchen mostly sticky-free, and the bathrooms reasonably tidy. For the ladies, I  discuss how to pick up the slack left by the absence of your husband.

I hope that you will take some time to follow me, so that you can learn some of the ways to maintain your home yourself. Feel free to ask questions as we make this journey together.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

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