the good wife's guide
Jul. 15th, 2001 03:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pluralHave 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 the come home
and the prospect of a good meal
[especially his favourite dish]
is part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself.
take 15 minutes to rest
so you will be refreshed
when he arrives.
touch up your makeup,
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 clutter.
make one last trip
through the main part of the house
just before your husband arrives.
Gather up schoolbooks,
toys, papers 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 to his comfort
will provide you with immense
personal satisfaction.
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 from
the washer, dryer or vacuum.
try to 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.
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.
Your goal: try to make your home
a place of peace, order and tranquillity
where your husband can
renew himself in body and spirit.
Don't greet him with complaints
and problems.
Don't complain if
he is home late for dinner
or even if he stays out all night.
count this as minor compared to
what he might have gone through
that day.
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.
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
[Article in Housekeeping Monthly 13 May 1955]
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 the come home
and the prospect of a good meal
[especially his favourite dish]
is part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself.
take 15 minutes to rest
so you will be refreshed
when he arrives.
touch up your makeup,
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 clutter.
make one last trip
through the main part of the house
just before your husband arrives.
Gather up schoolbooks,
toys, papers 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 to his comfort
will provide you with immense
personal satisfaction.
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 from
the washer, dryer or vacuum.
try to 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.
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.
Your goal: try to make your home
a place of peace, order and tranquillity
where your husband can
renew himself in body and spirit.
Don't greet him with complaints
and problems.
Don't complain if
he is home late for dinner
or even if he stays out all night.
count this as minor compared to
what he might have gone through
that day.
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.
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
[Article in Housekeeping Monthly 13 May 1955]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2001-07-15 06:25 am (UTC)"Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him." Does this mean she has to let him watch her with another woman?
no subject
Date: 2001-07-15 11:49 am (UTC)sometimes...
Date: 2001-07-17 11:32 am (UTC)i think
that my honey
would like me
to be like that
not all of it
just some of it
he likes the parts of me
that are that
without my trying to be that
just by being me
sometimes
i think
like that
and
make my life
into something
less than right
less than interesting
because
that is how
"we're supposed to be"
good and quiet and
keep things tidy
isn't a woman's life
supposed to be all about
her man and her home and her children
anyway
sometimes i believe this
for myself, not for all women,
that i am supposed to be like this
but then i read this post of yours
or i read LJ women's posts
who have crazy and interesting lives
that do not completely surround
a husband and home and children
all the time
even though they may or may not have
children
and yet
i want children and a husband
a home would be nice
i do not want to be the woman
that this article describes
what a paradox my wishes and wants
put me into
hmm
something to think on.
no subject
Date: 2001-07-22 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2001-07-24 12:55 pm (UTC)heh
Date: 2001-07-24 02:14 pm (UTC)I thought
the article was
interesting
[read screwed up]
enough to make its own point
*grin*
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 11:32 am (UTC)I found the actual book in my shed about 2 months ago!!
*grin*
Apparently my Great-grandmother thought that my nana needed a copy.
The women in my family don't heel to men... you should remember that.
However I may be persuaded to kneel.
*wink*
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 06:42 pm (UTC)I prefer kneeling
over heeling
any (and every) day