Oh, Steve, our wedding was beautiful. It was everything a girl dreams of. And now I'm learning to be a wife, and I'll be a good one too! I promise. I loved saving money with our camping honeymoon! I admit that at first, I didn't understand why your mother had to come with us, but, now I do. I had no idea you could cook in a station wagon! I also had no idea how you like your eggs and my coffee is still a little bland, but, I'll learn. Oh, Steve, you make me so happy.
Your mother prepared me for life with you just like I am her own daughter. She showed me how to wash your clothes with Tide and told me to always have refreshing drinks on hand. There is still so much I don't know. But, she gave me this guide of practical rules. It makes so much sense when you read it and memorize it.
"The Good Wife's Guide (1950):
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 be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal 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. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
During 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 rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or 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. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him 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 judgment 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."
I'm so glad times have changed!
ReplyDeleteI only wish girls today could realize how not so long ago this was. I wish they'd know their own history.
ReplyDeleteAnd boys too. I remember my son, in a fit of anger, yelling "Why didn't you just take the pill?" Umm..because it wasn't legal.
ReplyDeleteThey make it sound like being a wife was the same as an employee. With benefits. That looks like a job description not a partnership. I know someone - named Marge! - who is this kind of wife. At least on the outside.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how long they stayed married!!!!Holy shit. Marilyn
ReplyDeleteWith the mother no less!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so opposite of Marge, it's scary.
ReplyDeleteOMG, Steve & Marge stole my parents' car! And that looks like my mother cooking. We had that exact Ford wagon when I grew up. They didn't get rid of that car until the late 60's.
ReplyDeleteMy mother would have failed on every one of those rules for a good wife. She was Women's Lib before her time.
Wow. I wonder if people really did that stuff?
ReplyDeleteMy mother's advice to me, when I was getting married, was to try to keep a clear path from the front door to the kitchen, as that is probably all he will notice, anyway.
You are shitting me, right? Is that for real? Holy shit!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is for real. Girls got training films like this in school too.
ReplyDeleteOlder sister told me the motherperson instructed her on what to say & how to act around boys when she went off to college. She never did that with me, probably figured I was a lost cause. Or maybe she thought my sister needed help.
ReplyDeleteI find it remarkable that Marge was able to read this list. Everyone knows that women only need enough literacy to be able to read a recipe.
ReplyDeleteAll the girls running around these days trying to looks like barbies or porn stars have NO IDEA what the previous generations of women had to go thru to get them the RIGHT to run around like tawdry whores.
ReplyDeleteAnn
What a great lesson on how to not even be a person. We overcame great obstacles in our rebellion against such foolishness. It was painful, but so worth it. I'd have put a gun to my head. Wow, traits of the taliban! I wonder how the women of Afghanistan are doing now.
ReplyDeleteHow true the gals of today have no bloody idea of the journey we have made.
No wonder Miltowns and "mother's little helpers" were so prevalent.
ReplyDeleteI was grinding my teeth while reading that. Yes, it is true. My mom was a 1950s housewife. She had a housecleaning schedule. She washed the floors AND waxed the floors. She hung clothes out to dry, even in winter!
ReplyDeleteShe told me that I can't ask Fred for any help around the house cause at the time, I did not have an outside job.
She was so June cleaver on thorazine.
They can kiss that shit goodbye!
ReplyDeleteI'm such a shitty wife. I would have had to jump off the nearest bridge back then.
ReplyDelete