Posted on 03/05/2004 5:24:16 PM PST by Go Gordon
The Good Wife’s Guide
1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, 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.
3. 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.
4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.
6. 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.
7. 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. 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.
8. Be happy to see him.
9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
13. Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
17. 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.
18. A good wife always knows her place.
I know some single moms that would love to be in a wonderful marriage, devoting their life and energy into a loving husband and family.
While there certainly are some real loser women out there, not all single moms are that way. :o)
I knew what it was like to come home to an evening of further work and I don't have to worry about him 'staying out all night'; he wants to come home to his castle and his domestic goddess!
No. The article just points out how differently wives appreciated their husbands back in the day. Now, a guy can do no right.
Pinocchio would be proud.
:o)
You're killing me. I told my 16 year old that before he picks a wife (way down the road) I suggested he spend some time in the south to see how southern belles treat men (we're in Jersey). If the women of the south actually treat men like the women do here in the NE, we're all introuble.
Then you don't know Mr Tiggywinkle. :o) He's wonderful and awesome! I'm a blessed woman.
Congrats on the 34 years. I truly believe that a compromise between the article and todays treatment would be perfect. Back in the 50's the man treated the wife a little heavy-handedly. But todays women treat men worse than they do their pets.
Grounds for divorce, coming in after the Husband. Every wife knows how to limit her bridge party/garden club activities to leave plenty of time for the essentials.
Probably one of the reasons that many "Good Wives" became feminists. Apparently the 1955 "good wife" didn't feel like passing the rules on to her own daughters. The hand that rocks the cradle...
Smart teacher. It amazes me how many women go to work looking...ummm....unkept (clothes are less than casual, no make-up, hair not styled). The women in our office building (not our company) have gained an average of about 35 pounds a piece over the last couple years. The majority are mid-40's. What attention do they expect to get from hubby in the evening?
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