Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The good old days?

Life if R.E.A.L.(ly out of touch) women get their way;

The following is from a 1950's Home Economics textbook intended for high school girls, teaching how to prepare for married life.

1. 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 prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will 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 or work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
3. Clear away the clutter: make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, 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.
4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children 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.
5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of 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 to see him.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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 and his need to be home and relax.
10. The Goal: Try to make you home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

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3 Comments:

Blogger BlueBerry Pick'n said...

so, which of these suggestions wouldn't ANYONE enjoy if they came home after a long day?

a lot of it sounds like the good common sense to remind YOUNG (& they were YOUNGER then & probably even YOUNGER in the Deep South...) girls.

For a 16 year old 'playing house' that might be the best advice she could remember.

To be considerate of a spouse.

remember: a lot of girls were from farms & weren't used to the 'suburban or even urban' working away from the home life.

just a thought.

BlueBerry Pick'n
can be found @
ThisCanadian DOT com
"Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced"

7:08 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Uh, I think you missed the preface: Life if R.E.A.L.(ly out of touch) women get their way.

Lately, though, I've been wondering if maybe un-R.E.A.L. women would prefer the lives portrayed in Atwood's, The Handmaid's Tale

1:38 a.m.  
Blogger none said...

Tell me, did you find this manual on the Real Women's site?

10:01 a.m.  

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