We have a son aged 16 and an 11-year-old daughter, but my wife has never assumed financial responsibility for the family.
From buying diapers, milk, and clothes for our children as babies to handling all their needs as they grew up—education, groceries, clothing, and essentials such as rice, meat, vegetables, fish sauce, salt, sugar, milk, as well as bills for electricity, water, and their bicycles and scooters—I have managed it all on my limited income. I even take care of purchasing toothpaste, face towels, laundry soap, dishes, and chopsticks.
I have reduced my personal expenses, working harder to earn enough to cover our children’s educational and other family-related costs. Meanwhile, my wife, who runs a bread stall and sells clothes on commission, keeps her earnings to herself and uses them to support her own parents.
I am the sole provider, dealing with our increasing financial demands, often feeling overwhelmed and stressed, yet I continue to endure. Without me, who would our children rely on?
I have made numerous attempts to discuss this issue with my wife, but she remains steadfast in her habits. Her indifference to our children and the household appears to be a deeply ingrained behavior, making me feel helpless and uncertain about how to effectively address this ongoing issue.
What can I do to change her behavior?