I have a lovely young -family and a house in a nice neighbourhood. My job is OK and well paid but I find it very stressful. My wife also has a very well paid job three days a week that she mainly does from home. I am 10 years older than her and happy to enjoy the life we have built, but she keeps taking on more and more responsibilities and obligations outside of work and doing more and more unnecessary housework. She wants more and more of the material trappings of life and seems to have lost the ability to relax and be thankful for what we have, which, materially, is everything I ever wanted. I just can’t keep up and she is wearing herself out. I know I love her and she still loves me but she resents me for being a slacker and I abhor her protestant work ethic and wanting to keep up with the Joneses. Every few months we have a massive row and every time it clears the air a little bit less. I’m worried as to where this is leading but I really don’t have the resources to keep up with the ever-increasing demands on my dwindling time, energy and earnings.
