London - Many women "infantilise" their husbands by leaving lists of instructions on how to run the house while they are away, a British head teacher has warned.
Vicky Bingham, of girls-only South Hampstead High School, hit out at those who micro-manage tasks such as play dates – and even chopping vegetables.
She said such mothers often have demanding jobs and need help, but believe their household routine will fall apart if they let their husbands take over.
Bingham said men’s domestic ineptitude was a myth and women should learn to trust their other halves more.
She warned that failing to do so could make their daughters believe they had sole responsibility for household chores.
She said: "I have known friends leave instructions for their husbands on 'Looking after the Children' when they have been away on business.
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"I have listened to them lament apparently having to micro-manage decisions about coats, socks, carrot batons, baths and homework, on top of demanding jobs. Even if fathers are shouldering their fair share of chores, it seems that many women of my generation still carry the mental load, and believe that if they didn’t the household would fall apart."
She warned that "extreme multi-tasking" had become a point of feminine pride, and "busy-ness" was a badge of "professional and maternal honour", adding: "What kind of blueprint are some of us providing for our daughters by infantilising men?"