Martin Miles had always been a man who believed he was the backbone of his family. He worked hard every day and expected his wife, Shannon, to manage everything at home. But when Shannon gave birth to twins, Lucas and Justin, things started to get out of control, and Martin’s view of his wife began to change — in a way he could never have imagined.

When Shannon had her first child, Claire, she had been confident that she could balance work and home life. And she did — at first. But with the twins, it became almost impossible. Juggling three children and a job took a toll on her.

Mistakes started happening. Breakfast was occasionally burnt, sometimes she’d leave the iron on too long, and on a few occasions, clothes got scorched in the process.

Martin, growing increasingly frustrated, wasn’t patient with her struggles. Instead, he mocked Shannon for being a “terrible homemaker.” One evening, after an exhausting day, he told her in no uncertain terms, “Shannon, you need to quit your job and stay home. You’re clearly not managing both.”

At first, Shannon hesitated, but the pressure from Martin was too much. She finally agreed to quit her job and devote herself entirely to the home. But things didn’t improve. In fact, they got worse. Martin was constantly irritated with her.

Every little thing went wrong, and Martin blamed Shannon. If there were dirty dishes, it was her fault. If the kids left toys around, that was on her too. If dinner was too salty, guess who was to blame? Shannon.

Martin became relentless, accusing Shannon of being lazy. “You’re so useless, Shannon!” he would yell. “How could I have ever chosen you? You’re not even the woman I fought with my mother to marry!”

Shannon’s heart would break every time he said something like that. She wanted to defend herself, but looking at her children, she couldn’t bring herself to argue. She didn’t want to break up her family. Martin didn’t understand that.

Then, one evening, Martin crossed the line.

It was Lucas and Justin’s first birthday, and Shannon was trying to get them to sleep after a busy day. As she sang a lullaby to calm them down, Martin’s voice broke through the quiet. “Shannon! Where are you? Come here, right now!” he shouted.

Shannon, frustrated and exhausted, rushed to the living room, cradling the twins in her arms. “What’s wrong with you, Martin? Can’t you see I’m trying to get the babies to sleep? Claire just fell asleep, and now these two are crying because of you!” she yelled back.

Martin sneered. “Having a hard time, huh? I guess you’ve forgotten that’s what you’re supposed to do! Not like you bring any money in. I work hard all day. What do you do?”

Shannon snapped, “Really, Martin? Stop acting like you do everything! I’m the one who cooks, cleans, does the laundry, and now I’m trying to get these babies to sleep!”

Martin rolled his eyes. “I’m not here to listen to your feminist speech, Shannon. After you get the kids to bed, make sure the dishes are done. I’m tired. I don’t want to see a dirty kitchen tomorrow morning!”

Shannon, barely holding it together, asked, “How can you even ask me to do everything alone? I haven’t had a chance to eat anything since this morning! Can’t you help me, just for once?”

Martin didn’t even look at her as he said, “Help? This is your job, Shannon. Do it properly, okay?” And with that, he turned and stormed off to bed.

Shannon stood there, trying to speak, but as she felt dizzy, she collapsed to the floor. The sound of the vase shattering as she fell was deafening.

Martin, hearing the crash, whipped around. “Shannon? What the hell? Get up!” he shouted, but Shannon didn’t move. “Are you faking it? This isn’t funny!”

Realizing something was wrong, Martin ran to call 911. His hands were shaking as he dialed the number. In a panic, he grabbed a glass of water, splashed it on her face, but Shannon didn’t wake up.

Within minutes, the paramedics arrived. Martin rushed out to the ambulance, holding Shannon in his arms. The doctors told him that Shannon had collapsed from sheer exhaustion and would need to be monitored for a while. Martin felt a knot in his stomach.

That night, after returning from the hospital, Martin went to the kitchen for some water. As he walked in, his foot landed on a shard of broken vase, and he stumbled. Bending down to clean up, he noticed a piece of paper on the floor. It was Shannon’s to-do list.

The list started early in the morning and didn’t end until late at night. Martin read through it, stunned. Here’s a glimpse of it:

• 5:00 a.m. – Get up!
• 5:30 a.m. – Shower and prepare Claire’s school bag
• 6:00 a.m. – Feed the babies and wake up Claire
• 7:00 a.m. – Wake Martin up (Why can’t he do it himself?)
• 7:30 a.m. – Prepare breakfast
• 8:00 a.m. – Claire’s school bus arrives
• 8:15 a.m. – Iron Martin’s clothes and pack his lunch
• 9:00 a.m. – Martin leaves (Relaxing time for Shannon, right? Not really.)
• 10:00 a.m. – Feed babies, clean dishes, and organize Claire’s room
• 12:00 p.m. – Lunch
• 1:00 p.m. – Claire’s back from school
• 2:00 p.m. – Claire’s tuitions
• 3:00 p.m. – Pick up Claire
• 4:00 p.m. – Bake cookies for Claire
• 5:00 p.m. – Start preparing dinner
• 6:00 p.m. – Martin returns home; babies should be asleep
• 7:00 p.m. – Dinner
• 8:00 p.m. – Spend time with Martin
• 8:00 p.m. – Clean the dishes
• 9:00 p.m. – Laundry and prepare for tomorrow
• 10:00 p.m. – Read a book (If you’re not dead!)

Martin couldn’t believe his eyes. Shannon didn’t have a single free minute in the day. She was always working, always on the move, and yet he had been blaming her. The realization hit him hard. He had been cruel to her when all she was doing was giving her all to their family.

The next day, Martin took a day off work and tried to follow the list himself. He woke up late — at 10:00 a.m. — and by then, half the tasks were already behind schedule. The day didn’t get much better, starting with burnt toast and ending with a saltless soup for dinner. He had no idea how Shannon managed to do everything so smoothly.

Feeling deeply ashamed, Martin visited Shannon at the hospital. He stopped at a flower shop to pick up her favorite flowers before heading there. At the hospital, he apologized, holding the flowers in front of her. “I’m sorry, Shannon. The doctors told me you collapsed because of exhaustion. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so harsh on you.”

Shannon was taken aback. “Are you okay, Martin? I mean, I don’t know what to say…”

Martin stepped closer and hugged her. “I’m fine now. But please, can we just stay like this for a while?”

“Are you really okay?” Shannon asked, unsure.

“I’m okay. I’m sorry, and I love you,” Martin said sincerely.

“I love you too,” Shannon replied, a smile forming on her face despite the unexpected turn of events.

From that day on, Martin changed. He hired a nanny to help Shannon at home and, on weekends, he pitched in to help with the chores. He finally realized that being a homemaker wasn’t an easy task. It was hard, constant work — something he’d never truly appreciated until now.

What can we learn from this story?

Never judge someone until you walk in their shoes. Martin failed miserably when he tried to manage Shannon’s life for a day. Respect for all professions is essential, no matter how big or small the job might seem. It’s easy to take things for granted — but once you realize the hard work behind them, you’ll never look at them the same way again. Share your thoughts in the comments below!