He hung up smiling and explained that his wife was asking what she should put in the kids' lunch boxes. 挂了电话后他笑着解释，他的妻子在问孩子的午餐盒里应该放些什么。

　　Everyone laughed. A few months later, Scott was back east with the same work colleagues. They were in a cab late that morning when Scott's phone rang. 所有人都哈哈大笑。几个月后的一个早晨，斯科特的电话又响了。

　　His team listened in disbelief as he patiently repeated the lunch list all over again: "A sandwich, carrot sticks, a cut-up apple, pretzels, and a cookie." 同事们简直难以置信，因为斯科特又耐心地重复回答了妻子的同一个问题：“一个三明治，几根胡萝卜条，一只苹果，椒盐饼干还有曲奇饼。”

　　When Scott tells this story, it's sweet and funny. 斯科特的这个故事听上去既甜蜜又有趣，

　　But take this same story and switch the genders and it loses its charm. 但如果把里面的性别角色颠倒一下，可就没这么有意思了。

　　That's just reality for most couples. 对大多数夫妇来说，这就是现实生活。

　　Scott and Katie buck expectations with their division of household duties. 在家务劳动的分工上，斯科特和凯蒂也和传统观点相左。

　　There's an epilogue to their story. 这个故事还有尾声。

　　Scott went on a third trip and discovered that Katie forgot to make the kids' lunches altogether. 斯科特第三次出差时，凯蒂完全忘记了给孩子做午餐，

　　She realized her slipup midmorning and solved the problem by having a pizza delivered to the school cafeteria. 于是赶紧订了比萨送到学校以作弥补。

　　Their kids were thrilled, but Scott was not. 孩子们兴奋不已，斯科特可没有。

　　Now when he travels, he packs lunches in advance and leaves notes with specific instructions for his wife. 现在，每当他要出差时，都会提前把孩子的午餐盒准备好，再给妻子留下详细的指导便条。

　　There may be an evolutionary basis for one parent knowing better what to put in a child's lunch. 对于给孩子准备什么午餐，父母双方总有一个人更清楚，这大概可用进化论做基础。

　　Women who breast-feed are arguably baby's first lunch box. 母亲必须给孩子喂奶，所以称得上是孩子的第一个“午餐盒”。