How to be a good wife

[Goin' Coastal]

This is hysterical! We have certainly come a long way! I wonder if there was ever an article in any magazine instructing men on how to be a good husband? I doubt it.



The Good Wife Guide ~
An actual article from
Housekeeping Monthly May 13, 1955




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 be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

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.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.

During 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 to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

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

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

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.

Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

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

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him 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.

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!!!

[Beachside]

Oh my--it is soooo hysterical. :p :D

Thanks for posting......I've gotta go prepare myself, turn off the vacuum & washer---and of course be ready to listen to his more important topics of conversation while I speak in a low & soothing voice and offer to remove his shoes........

yah....sure I will.......hahaha :rolleyes:

[mbrogier]

While that is hilarious in a June Cleaver/ Ozzie and Harriet sort of way, that article is partly fake. Here's the snope link. Good Wife (http://www.snopes.com/language/document/goodwife.asp)

[Chefzhat]

You know, I've posted before about the routine I have before dh gets home from work (tidy up, refresh makekup, change dirty shirt, etc) and got a bit laughed at.

However antique the idea is, I tidy myself and the main living areas of the house before dh comes home. I check my face and hair, brush my teeth, and make sure I'm wearing a clean shirt. If I have a huge project going I put it away. I've usually got dinner all planned and mostly prepped. I turn off the TV. So dh enters a calm house that is ready for anything: dinner, evening activities, etc.

I know - it sounds wierd, but its just something I do. And believe me, I'm not June Cleaver :)

Debie

[Kathy B]

Good for you, Debie! I am not quite that organized, but I do try to make sure that dinner is (mostly) ready and DH is greeted with a PLEASANT atmosphere vs. problems, complaints or other demands when he walks in the door. It really does set the tone for the rest of the evening.

[mrswaz]

Good for you, Debie! I am not quite that organized, but I do try to make sure that dinner is (mostly) ready and DH is greeted with a PLEASANT atmosphere vs. problems, complaints or other demands when he walks in the door. It really does set the tone for the rest of the evening.


Boy does it ever! ;)

[stefania4]

DH works at home - I'd love it if I came home from a 10-hour day and was greeted with anything but a mess, fussy dogs, a sink full of dishes he dirtied during the day (note: the sink is NEXT TO the dishwasher) and a frazzled DH! Should I show him the article and see what happens? :)

[LakeMartinGal]

Should I show him the article and see what happens? :)

Yes, you should... and good luck with that. ;) :rolleyes:

[beacooker]

Did anyone see the Forbes article posted this week that said men shouldn't marry 'career women'? So scary to think that in this day and age, a supposedly respectable magazine would publish something like that. They took it down, then re-posted it with a rebuttal from a woman. http://www.forbes.com/home/2006/08/23/Marriage-Careers-Divorce_cx_mn_land.html

The same guy who wrote this article, an executive editor for the magazine, also recently wrote an article talking about how similar wives are to prostitutes. :rolleyes:

[BarbaraL]

Did anyone see the Forbes article posted this week that said men shouldn't marry 'career women'? So scary to think that in this day and age, a supposedly respectable magazine would publish something like that. They took it down, then re-posted it with a rebuttal from a woman. http://www.forbes.com/home/2006/08/23/Marriage-Careers-Divorce_cx_mn_land.html

The same guy who wrote this article, an executive editor for the magazine, also recently wrote an article talking about how similar wives are to prostitutes. :rolleyes:

I heard mention of this article on the news this morning. I imagine the men who feel this way, and want women like the ones in the original post, are the same men who then complain that it's their money (since their wives don't "work"), an resent paying alimony when they dump their wives for "trophy wives".

Both partners in a relationship (married, living-together, gay, etc) should respect each other, and treat each other well - the suggestions listed apply to both partners! Within reason, of course; DH doesn't need to put a ribbon in his hair! Good luck encouraging small children to be quiet. DH would be upset if I lit a fire in the living room (since we don't have a fireplace!).

Anyone who thinks DH's topics are more important than mine, that DH is master of the house, that DH always "exercises his will with fairness and truthfulness" and that I have no right to question him, has another think coming.

[sparrowgrass]

I need a wife like that. :p

[bobmark226]

.... a supposedly respectable magazine would publish something like that. They took it down, then re-posted it with a rebuttal from a woman. http://www.forbes.com/home/2006/08/23/Marriage-Careers-Divorce_cx_mn_land.html


It's in the Opinions section. Aside from the fact that Forbes most likely has a disclaimer to the effect that "the opinions expressed here do not reflect...", it no more represents the magazine than the posts in this forum do Cooking Light. It's nice to know that they had the guts to let it go through, even though they did eventually re-neg, which I find a bit sad.

You might also note, if you take the time to read their message board responses, that there are plenty of people in agreement, including several housewives!

Unpopular opinions deserve a voice, too.

Bob

[DeeK]

You know, I've posted before about the routine I have before dh gets home from work (tidy up, refresh makekup, change dirty shirt, etc) and got a bit laughed at.

However antique the idea is, I tidy myself and the main living areas of the house before dh comes home. I check my face and hair, brush my teeth, and make sure I'm wearing a clean shirt. If I have a huge project going I put it away. I've usually got dinner all planned and mostly prepped. I turn off the TV. So dh enters a calm house that is ready for anything: dinner, evening activities, etc.

I know - it sounds wierd, but its just something I do. And believe me, I'm not June Cleaver :)

Debie

It's not wierd. That's how we live here too. :)

ETA (after reading the other posts) --- DH works outside the house. I work inside the house. But, he respects my work, my opinions and my contributions to the household just as much as I respect his. In no way am I made to feel like a "lesser" contributor. I'm not sure that is what the article in Forbes implied, but I'm thinking maybe it did.

And Bob --- AMEN to your comment about opinions --- popular or unpopular ...they all have something to say and I, admittedly, have been swayed to a new way of thinking by a well-written oppposing opinion. :)

[Meganator]

I will concede that the general idea of this list isn't all that bad, except this one:


Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
:eek:

[Kayaksoup]

You know, I've posted before about the routine I have before dh gets home from work (tidy up, refresh makekup, change dirty shirt, etc) and got a bit laughed at.

However antique the idea is, I tidy myself and the main living areas of the house before dh comes home. I check my face and hair, brush my teeth, and make sure I'm wearing a clean shirt. If I have a huge project going I put it away. I've usually got dinner all planned and mostly prepped. I turn off the TV. So dh enters a calm house that is ready for anything: dinner, evening activities, etc.

I know - it sounds wierd, but its just something I do. And believe me, I'm not June Cleaver :)

Debie
That part actually sounded nice to me.. I was reading the article thinking "You know...I would probably enjoy that.." But it lost me at the "never question him on anything"

[pattyp.]

I'm guilty. However I didn't have a job outside the home but I had 6 kids and didn't eat bon bons and watch soap operas all day. I always was eager for my husbands' returen home from work. I aways fixed myself up and got things in a little order. My kids still remember that. We just celebrated our 50th.

[BarbaraL]

I need a wife like that. :p
Yeah, me too.

[rburganmckinley]

Article may be real, may not. May be from 1955, may not. But if you look at the reasons behind it, most of it actually makes sense (this comming from a female engineer). And believe it or not, there is a modern equivalent to this article, Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura Schlessinger (I'm sure I spelled her name wrong) an infurating and enlightening book about the roles men and women play in a marriage and how to keep it happy.

[Jalapeno]

Be a little gay
Like with my best girlfriend??? :confused: Yeah I bet he would like that! hehehehehe