How to be a good wife

[Rebecca Iavelli]

Found a photocopied page from Housekeeping Monthly May 1955, and this was what the artical was about.

The Good Wife's Guide

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 prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite 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 ittle 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 and 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 by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of real 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 necesary, 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, elliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacum. 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 the 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 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 home late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compaired 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 will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

[salamanca]

In 1955, I am pretty much ok with this list. It doesn't entirely work now but there are aspects of it that do make sense with some tweaks. Let's start with the original era. You have to keep in mind that this was an era when the majority of the work force came home at dinner time and expected to eat AT HOME. Dinner being ready clears more time for the family afterwards. Letting grumpy old man get his issues out of the way first also gives you more time to discuss your problems after those have been vented so better focus can be paid to the household issues afterwards. And a tidy house (presuming one is not also working a job, which was the target audience) is nice proof that you have also had a busy day. One should also keep in mind that this era is mostly war vets and tons of those guys were dealing with PTSD issues and had no professional advice or support to turn to (or even knew they had a problem) and a nice quiet place to rest safely at the end of the day with no arguing or drama was likely a huge blessing to those guys.

[salamanca]

As for what works now?. Whoever gets home first should probably at least start cooking dinner. We should all make an effort to pretty ourselves up because it's a nice thing to do (and we feel better about ourselves when we know our hair is combed and breath is fresh). We all should listen to our significant other and their problems even if we don't have solutions. At times, we all need to vent. And it's always bad form to greet anybody we care about with complaints. You may have noticed I keep saying we a lot. This advice is not gender specific. Now keep in mind, being late without calling or texting is no longer acceptable. Technology has made that bit of advice obsolete.

[Rebecca Iavelli]

I just thought it was funny, in what they expected of the woman during that time. I'm trying to figure out how she can "take 15 minutes" for herself before her husband gets home, to be rested and beautiful for him, when she is checking for clutter, washing and changing the children, making sure dinner is ready, and having a drink ready for her husband as he walks in the door, all at the same time.

[Lady Grace]

I've yet to shank the husband.

This counts as good for me.

[salamanca]

Grace, that counts as "better" for him. And there are a highly organized sub-species of human being that could easily handle all of that and find the time to primp as well. I've met them and they are not normal.