A Good Wife's Rules

I love this old excerpt from a 1950's Home Economics textbook.  I think that there are some good tips here for taking good care of our husbands.

·         Get your work done.  Plan your tasks with an eye on the clock. Finish or interrupt your work an hour before your husband is expected home.  Your anguished cry, "Are you home already?" is not exactly a warm welcome.

·         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 of him and are concerned about his needs.  Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal (especially his favorite dish)are 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.  His boring day may need a lift.

·         Clear away the clutter.  Make one last trip through the main part of the house before your husband arrives.

·         Tidy up. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc and 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 noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, 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.

·         Make the evening his. Never complain if he’s late for dinner. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

·         Don't complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other places of entertainment.  Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

·         Make him comfortable. Allow him rest and unwind in a comfortable chair or 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

·         Make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.