The Good Wife's Guide.

by Englishman 29 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Englishman

  The Good Wife's Guide
  Originally printed in a 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly and a home economics textbook

  1) Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home, and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

  2) Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

  3) Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc., and then run a dust cloth over the tables. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

  4) Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

  5) Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

  6) Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

  7) Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first -- remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

  8) Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, and his very real need to be at home and relax.

  9) Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

  10) Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

  11) Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

  12) Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

  13) Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him. A good wife always knows her place.

  ---

  So what happened?

  Englishman, and Darling, will you please stop hitting me?
• 

  LittleToe

  LOL

  Is this for real, Mike?
• 

  teenyuck

  HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

  Currently, since I am unemployed, I do most of that. Really!! It is a flashback to my mother, when I was very young. She did all that...then she found the dubs.

  8) Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, and his very real need to be at home and relax

  That is probably why they divorced...my dad came home late etc without her. She complained.

  That could be from the Awake!

  AWAKE! 2/22/1972 "IS GOD IN YOUR MARRIAGE?"
  So it has been said with no small measure of truth that man gives affection to get 'sex,' and the woman gives 'sex' to get affection and love.

  AWAKE! 10/8/1974 "WATCHING THE WORLD"
  A woman's work, it has been said, is never done.

  AWAKE! 11/8/1975 "HOW TO MAKE RETIREMENT REWARDING"
  It has been said that for a man to enjoy his meals he must have someone to cook for him, and for a woman to enjoy eating she must have someone for whom she can cook.
• 

  SpiceItUp

  Sheesh...Now I know why I'm glad I didn't live in the 50's.

  Funnie though....my mother still does some of those things for my father...

  I think that if you grew up in that era and under the dubs..you really don't have a chance.

  Spice
• 

  Angharad

  I do all that every single night for Simon. Honestly

  Yeah right

  Excuse me while I go and find a ribbon to put in my hair.
• 

  zenpunk

  Ha! In the 50s little girls were even sent to Charm School to prepare them for these roles!
• 

  teenyuck

  WHO WILL MAKE A GOOD WIFE (from The Youth's Companion, May 30, 1850, p. 20)

  When you see a young woman who rises early, sets the table and prepares her father's breakfast cheerfully--depend upon it she will wake a good wife. You may rely upon it that she possesses a good disposition and a kind heart.

  When you see a young woman just out of bed at nine o'clock, leaning with her elbow on the table, gaping and sighing, "Oh dear, how dreadfully I feel"--rely upon it; she will not make a good wife. She must be lazy and mopish.

  When you see a girl with a broom in her hand, sweeping the floor, or with a rubbing board or clothes-line in her hand, you may put it down that she is industrious, and will make a good wife for somebody.

  When you see a girl with a novel in her left hand, and a fan in her right, shedding tears, you may be assured she is not fit for a wife.

  Happiness and misery are before you, which will you choose?
• 

  SYN

  Well, I for one don't want a brainless sheep who always does what I say & stuff. I want someone to be on an equal level to me - someone I can respect and love, not a baby-factory on legs.
• 

  teenyuck

  SYN, tell that to Ben Franklin:

  One good Husband is worth two good Wives; for the scarcer things are, the more they're valued .

  edited to add: it is really hard to find any information on "good husband" on google

  Edited by - puffsrule on 27 June 2002 11:58:27
• 

  larc

  I have a shorter list. 1. Tie up the kids and put them in an upstairs closet. 2. Get naked and sit in a chair near the door with a six pack by your side. 3. When he gets home, have your way with him, then tell him to fix his own damned supper. He will be happy to do so. Wominz - you need to keep a man's priorities in mind. By the way, that one about not complaining about a man staying out all night??? Dumbest advice I have ever seen.