The Marriage Ref

Have you seen the show? I think it's an amusing, valid idea. I thought Bryce and I should give it a try. The key to success is people weighing in with their comments. I don't know how we'll decide who wins, it will probably be Bryce, he usually wins at everything. Maybe I'll have my mom decide, I'm sure she'll be unbiased even though I'm her favorite.

The Topic: the mattress

Katie: I firmly believe that I should have exactly half of the top side of the mattress. It's not my fault that Bryce has broader shoulders. I should not be penalized for my size. I'm an equal partner in the marriage, I should have an equal part of the sleeping arrangements.

Bryce Here. My wife, being a social work major in college, should know that equality does not boil down to a 50/50 split. My wife would agree that people who make more money should have to pay more in taxes. Why is that, one may ask? She would give you a discussion on disposable income and how less affluent people are required to spend more money on the necessities of life. While this blog post is not a discuss on our current tax system, I find the similarities between the financial needs of any individual and sleeping needs of an individual to be closely aligned.

My wife is a slight women. I am not a slight man. My wife's needs are different than my needs. Am I expected to live on the same amount of food as my wife, so we can keep it a 50/50 split? Should I have the same amount of fabric for clothing as my wife? It would be like a 7:1 ratio. While I am sure it is nice for an individual to be able to eat a 5 course meal, I would think that providing food for the hunger would be more important.

In addition, while I am sure it is nice to sleep every night in excess comfort, I would think people just getting a good nights sleep would be more important. I will admit, that I often joke with my wife that my half of the bed is the top half and hers is the bottom half, but that joke has not made one difference to her staunch determination that she should get 50 percent of the mattress. My brothers and sisters, let us rise up against the beast, who would repress us in food and sleep. Let us fight for what is true and right. Let our voices be heard that equality of sleep is not a generic 50/50 split, but a study of basic human needs. While I know that my wife does not listen to me, she will be swayed by public opinion. I know she is your friend, daughter or sister, but fairness and equality should not be based on one's relations. Thank you for your support. Please know that you, by posting your support, can make a difference.

Katie: Why in the world I thought it would be 'fun' to engage in a public debate with one, Bryce Bell, is beyond me.

New tactic: I should get more of the mattress because I use the mattress, in general, more often. It's like the parable of the talents. Did the one man who had one talent receive more talents when he failed to use the one talent he had? No he did not. Does the man who has half of the mattress get more mattress when he fails to use the one half he does have often? No he does not. Taxes come and go, but God, and the Bible for that matter, are unchanging.

Bryce: Heresy. While some individuals may think that sleeping is a talent, I would contend that it is not. Sleep is an essential part of a healthy life. One Katie Bell, has admitted that she gets more sleep than her husband. Knowing that said husband gets less sleep, wouldn't it be more important that his sleep be better, more restful. Just because he is only blessed with three talents of sleeping time and not five talents of sleeping time, doesn't mean he should not get a good nights sleep. While Katie may try to mix doctrine with philosophy, I remain firm in trying to achieve equality. Thank you.

Katie: Do not be lulled into a false sense of security by Bryce's use of large words that I had to help him spell.

Bryce: That is just a cheap attack and she is trying to lose sight of the topic. I am tired because I don't get as much sleep and it isn't as good, so I will be going to bed at 9 pm, just so I can function at work tomorrow. All I want to do is provide for my family.

Katie: Blah, blah, blah. Please do not interrupt me again. Bryce was just trying to bully me out of my turn to refute, just like he tries to bully me out of my share of the mattress. Back to the food analogy...Bryce eating more food does not infringe on my right for food. His right to more mattress would infringe on my right to an equal share in the mattress. And isn't this what the whole debate is about, my rights, as a stay-at-home-mom, and a woman of this country? Let us stand together for the rights and the amount of mattress that are ours.

Thank you.

Side note: After the typing of this post, the debate continued in earnest for about 17.5 more minutes.