You’ve spent the day shepherding the kids back and forth the school, working a full time job, buffing up the bath, cooking, ironing, paying the gas bill and your husband indoors hasn’t lifted a finger to help. People reckon single moms have it hard, but its no picnic living with a man who is too busy bee or selfish or lazy to do his fair share around the house either especially when everyone assumes that just because you’re partnered up, your life’s super easy. If you’re fed up feeling like a single married mum, follow this guide and train your man to start shifting his butt:

• Ask really nicely: Think nagging your partner to get his bum off the sofa will have him jumping to attention? I don’t think so this is the right approach, because men can’t stand the idea of being talked down to or given orders by their partners, so if all you do is moan, your man will just get defensive and walk away. So ask him ever so nicely, please-weesy, though, and he’ll be so chuffed at doing you a favor, he’ll be bounding around with a feather duster and a can of furniture polish before you.

• When men clear off to work, they have a clue how much ski vying you do, even though you have a full time job as well. In fact, your man probably thinks you spend all day eating choccy biscuits and gossiping with your friends. Men don’t have a clue how emotionally and physically demanding your life is, but yours will soon find out when you swap roles for the day. give him a couple of hours with his hyper-active kids, a sink load of dishes and a big pile of ironing and he’ll be begging for mercy and promising to be more helpful in future.

• Tell him he’s an angel from time to time, so that he’ll be helpful for you and giving you a hand in house chore. Never mind if you feel like a Wally saying it. It will definitely do the trick. If he feels like you appreciate him, he’ll like you appreciate him; he’ll like to give you a hand.

• Men might not like housework, but they love a challenge so give him a list of tasks to complete and watch him morph fro slob to superman as he zooms around the house like he’s Tom cruise in ‘Mission’. Men have an allergic reaction to housework if it means they’re going to be nagged or closely supervised, but give them a list and they’ll be in their element.

I think these studies will help you having his hand in house.