Men can't listen to instructions

Men. They have really good intentions when it comes to their home and family. But due to strange hard-wiring in their brain, they just simply can't follow instructions.

The hubs has been hard at work these few days preparing the nursery. He moved the TV, console, and Starhub unit to the study and wired up a new TV cable, complete with covered casing. Highly commendable. However, he failed to notice that his casing had gaping holes at every joint and bend, because he didn't know how to cut the casing at an angle so the edges would meet. I had to come home and show him how to do it.

Yesterday, he painted the room. It was a somber blue colour but now it's a bright cheery pale-yellow. Great work, considering he single-handedly painted it, all day. He, however, ignored my instructions to tape the power points, window sill, and skirting with masking tape. He also did not tape up the door frame. The result is a mess of yellow paint on all the above mentioned items. Being a neurotic perfectionist, I was disheartened to see the shoddy work, especially on the grey door frame, which could not be painted over because we ran out of grey paint.

To add to this, he did not cover the floor with newspapers despite me placing them in the room for his use. Now there are pale-yellow blemishes on my parquet floor and I do not know if it's reversible. (Thank goodness I covered the sofa with a huge old bedsheet. Who knows what it might look like had I not done that!) And just this morning, I discovered he painted onto the ceiling because he thought it wasn't noticeable. So I have an untidy patchy ceiling edge as well.

I really admire his love and perseverance in his little handyman tasks around the home, but dismayed that his laziness and slipshod attitude prevailed. I didn't want to nag, but felt I had to give him my advice and instructions...which obviously fell on deaf ears. In future, I feel compelled to do all the "prep-work" before he embarks on a task.

Update: The husband has cleaned away all the paint marks and smoothed the paint work. The wall's not perfect, and there is a feathering effect way up on the ceiling...but I can live with it. :) Yokatte ne!