If he has done cooking, then it is nice of him to wash up after himself but I don’t expect it, for two reasons:
1. He has really bad eczema on his hands so it is a big thing for him to do washing up. Whenever he does I let him know that I am very grateful for it.
2. It is not always reasonable to ‘expect’ things off others. As long as they are not making my job as wife and mother harder, they do not always need to wash up after themselves. Clearing up, however, is a different matter. I would expect them to at least put their stuff in the sink when they’re done.
takahmamash – I agree with your comment, just want to add that if the children are brought up from a young age to clear up after themselves, then it will be automatic. You can’t suddenly expect a ten-year old or even a teenager to clear their own stuff up if they had their mother constantly clearing up behind them when they were young. I am teaching my two year old that she has to put away toys when she’s finished with them – this is where it starts.