I wear the pants in the house, when it's OK with my wife.

I've never had a great need to be a supreme ruler over my household. That seems like too much work. I would much rather share that role with my wife.  The problem is my kids don't seem to understand the meaning of "sharing" in any of it's uses. I sometimes think that in their eyes I rank just slightly higher than Lindsay in command and way below Jackie.
I know that I'm not just being paranoid, because I've been keeping track and taking notes of instances to back me up.


Exhibit A:
I ran in and completed a marathon. I was very proud of that. I got a medal and a window decal and everything. Normally I don't like sticking things in my car windows, because you start with your favorite teams sticker, then the next thing you know you've got Calvin peeing on a Chevy logo, but I felt pretty safe with the marathon decal. It's not like I'm going to be collecting one of those every week.  At any rate I was getting ready to put the decal on, when Kalli nervously asks what I'm doing. I tell her I'm putting on my marathon sticker, to which she replies "Did you ask Mom if that's ok"


Exhibit B:
I am at Costco with my kids doing some shopping. We pass the aisle that has brownie mixes, and one mix in particular catches my eye with chocolate chunks in it. Seeing a chance to earn brownie points (terrible pun intended) with Jackie, I grab a box. All the sudden all the kids flip out and say "Did Mom tell you to get those?"  I answer "No, I told me to get them."  Then Lindsay says " I think you should call Mom and ask if it's ok to get them first."


Exhibit C-Z:
Anytime I tell the kids that we are going to do any kind of activity or have any kind of treat, they immediately look at Mom, to see what her reaction is going to be.


I don't know why my kids think I can't wipe my nose without permission. I like to think that it's because they love us both so much that they don't want to see our marriage ripped to shreds over a major decision, like whether or not we should stop and get ice cream. All I know is that if they worried about whether they're doing what mom said as much as they worry about me, then we would never trip over another shoe or backpack in our house.