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Tekneek
03-13-2004, 03:31 PM
HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954


Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. 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 are part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll 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. His boring day may need a lift.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

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, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.

Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he 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, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

korme
03-13-2004, 03:35 PM
I read that last year in American History class.

Good stuff!

RPI-Fan
03-13-2004, 03:38 PM
Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

In other words, "Have a drink ready for him."?

:)

Suicane75
03-13-2004, 03:39 PM
One time on the Stern show he was complaining about his wife and said that he wrote down a list of things a good wife should do, he then read that exact same passage in the most serious of tones, good stuff.

SirFozzie
03-13-2004, 03:44 PM
Urban Legend...

Snopes even says: The question here is whether the piece quoted above really came from a home economics textbook. Is it real, or is it yet another of those "look how far we've come" fabrications? Well, so far nobody has turned up the infamous textbook that supposedly included these ten steps. The list is often attributed to Helen B. Andelin's book Fascinating Womanhood, first published in 1963 to provide instruction in "The Art of Winning a Man's Complete Love," but no such list appears there either

Anthony
03-13-2004, 03:47 PM
i have a copy of this very article (taken right from Good Housekeeping, circa the 60's) up in my cubicle, with a the original pic of the husband coming home from work loosening his tie as his wife (with ribbon in hair) stands eager by the stove with the child nearby. i read it often, it's funny and makes me wish things could go back to the good ole days. lol

Desnudo
03-13-2004, 03:50 PM
Be a little gay

I'd be down with that.

JeeberD
03-13-2004, 03:50 PM
That all sounds about right to me... :)

Primal
03-13-2004, 04:27 PM
Will you email that to my wife?

Bubba Wheels
03-13-2004, 04:48 PM
I'd be down with that.

HA! Saw part of an old black and white movie starring my hero Ronald Reagan channel surfing the other night. He's sitting at a table discussing some scheme with a buddy when the table fills up with other associates and champaign is ordered, poured and toasting starts. Reagan is obviously minding what his buddy has said/not said and says in a very troubled, uptight voice "Well, let's all be gay!" Could not stop laughing. :D

Unsaid response? "You first."