Are you following the 'Good Wives' Guide in your marriage?

  • Thread starter Math Is Hard
  • Start date
In summary, the author suggests preparing oneself, clearing away the clutter, preparing the children, and making the evening his for the husband's arrival. The author also suggests that the wife listen to her husband and make the evening his.
  • #1
Math Is Hard
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Listen up, ladies! :smile:

The following is from a 1950's Home Economics Textbook:

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 prospects of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) 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. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. then run a dustcloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind to. 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.

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.

Minimise 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. 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 sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Don't greet him with complaints and problems. 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.
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 judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him. A good wife always knows her place.
 
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  • #2
/\ i got that in my email months ago... it's always good for a laugh though


Math Is Hard said:
A good wife always knows her place.
that's exactly right! lol :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
  • #3
What a wonderful guide, what a great guide, what a wonderful guide, oh oops, i said that already.
 
  • #4
So what do the ladies here think of the guide?
 
  • #5
I think it should be called "The Good Maid's Guide".
 
  • #6
WHATEVER POSSESSED YOU TO POST SUCH POOP?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
  • #7
A good wife always knows her place.

Right. In the House, in the Senate, in the Oval Office... :wink:
 
  • #8
If I had my way "Guides" like that wouldn't exist.
If I had my way women wouldn't ever be taught to read so those guides would be worthless.
 
  • #9
You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time

That one would be nice. Nothing worse than nagging first step through the door. Well that's not entirely true, but still. Wait five minutes, then nag. that's all i ask.
 
  • #10
Math Is Hard said:
Listen up, ladies! :smile:

The following is from a 1950's Home Economics Textbook:


Aaah,... the good old days. They're gone :cry: :cry:

:rofl: :rofl:
 
  • Like
Likes gracy
  • #11
Wow, that sounds like the same kind of treatment I receive from my husband when I get home from work! Except, he doesn't put the ribbon in his hair...
 
  • #12
recon said:
I think it should be called "The Good Maid's Guide".

True, but if it's going to be called that they should add a few stuff. Mostly something like, "How to act like a bad boy".
 
  • #13
:biggrin: Another politically incorrect statement that men will surely love :

"A woman's place is in the bed and at the sink, and the extent of her travels should be from one to the other, and back." Caitlin Thomas

But honestly I think any woman who is lucky enough to be a full time house wife should pull her weight and aspire to meet most, if not all, of those standards. We all know how dead tired and reticent one can be after work and commune.
 
  • #14
Polly said:
But honestly I think any woman who is lucky enough to be a full time house wife should pull her weight and aspire to meet most, if not all, of those standards. We all know how dead tired and reticent one can be after work and commune.

Lucky enough? While I support every person's right to choose how they live their own life, which means anyone who chooses to be a stay at home parent is just as important as those who go to work, I don't consider staying home to be something you consider lucky. Maybe lucky for the kids to have either parent around that much to spend time with them. You know why a stay at home parent wants to start talking to their spouse the moment they get home? Because their day's conversation has amounted to 2 year old babble in response to "Are you hungry?" "Do you have a stinky diaper?" And endless Barney and Teletubbies cartoons (or whatever kids shows are on nowadays). Those parents are starved for adult conversation!

I have to say, coming home to dinner ready to be served is wonderful! I had friends staying at my house once when I was working on a grant application (the grant was due right after Thanksgiving). My friends are self-sufficient and just needed a place to sleep while in town to visit their family, whose homes were already overfull with people...at the time I was a bit nervous about them bringing an 18 mo old along. But, when I was really busy trying to meet the deadline and would have probably wound up eating dinner out of the vending machine, they called me at the office and invited me to my house for dinner :biggrin: They knew I didn't have time to cook, so had a full dinner waiting for me when I walked in the door so I could just eat, and get back to work. No cooking, no cleaning dishes...it was great! It was a bonus for my friend who had an excuse that night to avoid her in-laws' cooking, which she can't stand :rofl:
 
  • #15
:rofl: Thanks for bursting my bubble Moonbear :rofl:
 
  • #16
It was fun to hear everyone's reactions to this. For better or worse, "The Good Wives' Guide" is a wonderful time capsule.

I must say I envy that Kerrie! She married very well!
 
  • #17
Math Is Hard said:
It was fun to hear everyone's reactions to this. For better or worse, "The Good Wives' Guide" is a wonderful time capsule.

I must say I envy that Kerrie! She married very well!

Yes I did :approve: He is an excellent cook among other things...
 
  • #18
Umm..it's missing the following revisions :

#1. Greet husband at doorstep with cold beer, and no clothes on

#2. When you hear screech of tires pleasantly intimating you of husband's arrival, switch on TV to ESPN before proceeding to #1
 
  • #19
Gokul43201 said:
#2. When you hear screech of tires pleasantly intimating you of husband's arrival, switch on TV to ESPN before proceeding to #1

Why'd it got to be ESPN? I suggest it be on the Disney Channel or something.
 
  • #20
Ah, the good ol' days...

Math Is Hard said:
Listen up, ladies! :smile:

The following is from a 1950's Home Economics Textbook:

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 prospects of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) 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. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. then run a dustcloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind to. 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.

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.

Minimise 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. 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 sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Don't greet him with complaints and problems. 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.
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 judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him. A good wife always knows her place.

What, you didn't know it was a man's world? :rofl:
 
  • #21
MIH, that's hysterical! :biggrin:

Kerrie, can we get your husband cloned?
 
  • #22
I am so tempted to do some Andy Kaufman humor here, but I probably better not. o:)
 
  • #23
Les Sleeth said:
I am so tempted to do some Andy Kaufman humor here, but I probably better not. o:)

thank-o very much
 
  • #24
Gokul43201 said:
thank-o very much

Did you think he was poking fun at the over-seriousness of feminism or that he was actually sexist?
 
  • #25
Les Sleeth said:
Did you think he was poking fun at the over-seriousness of feminism or that he was actually sexist?
With Kaufman, you can never tell...at least I never could.
He walked the thin line between the obvious and the incredible, between earnestness and parody, between the mundane and the shocking like no other comic. And I, for one, often found it hard to tell which side of the line he was on.
 

1. What is the "Good Wives' Guide"?

The "Good Wives' Guide" is a set of guidelines for women to follow in their marriages, originally published in a 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly magazine. It includes tips on how to be a good wife, such as always having a meal prepared for your husband and making sure the house is clean and tidy.

2. Do people still follow the "Good Wives' Guide" today?

No, the "Good Wives' Guide" is considered outdated and sexist by most people today. It promotes traditional gender roles and expectations that are no longer applicable in modern society.

3. What does it mean to follow the "Good Wives' Guide" in your marriage?

Following the "Good Wives' Guide" means adhering to the traditional gender roles and expectations set forth in the guidelines. This may include taking care of all household duties, catering to your husband's needs, and always putting his desires above your own.

4. Is it necessary to follow the "Good Wives' Guide" for a successful marriage?

No, following the "Good Wives' Guide" is not necessary for a successful marriage. In fact, many modern marriages thrive on equality and mutual respect rather than adhering to traditional gender roles.

5. As a scientist, do you follow the "Good Wives' Guide" in your own marriage?

As a scientist, I believe in equality and respect in my marriage. I do not follow the outdated and sexist guidelines of the "Good Wives' Guide" and instead strive for a partnership where both partners share responsibilities and make decisions together.

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