Well, that was how it worked in my house, because the rule was if you can't be grateful to Mom for the work she does, you can do it yourself next time. :D (Mom was stay-at-home, so she did do the lion's share of the housekeeping... but even then there were often dishes in the sink for a couple days, especially when the kids were young, because childcare and community work were prioritized over tub-scrubbing.)