topic Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955 in Among Friends

The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

ECBG — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 23:53:25 GMT

Finally! I located it in large print! Enjoy!

The article states:

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 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 makeup, 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. 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 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, 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 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 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.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

PA Mom-mom — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:05:15 GMT

@ECBG Even though this doesn't appear to be authentic, it is good for a laugh. I'll never forget my soon to be MIL telling me, "No matter what happened during the day, make sure the house and the children are clean and in order when he walks through the door." I think I had a 5% success rate! Hahaha!

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

RoughDraft — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:12:18 GMT

Look up Francine Hughes!

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

jannabelle1 — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:12:52 GMT

Thank goodness my mother never followed that mantra! She owned her own small beauty salon in the 50s and 60s, always had a small stash of money of her own, made some tough decisions about our family on her own and was just an overall strong woman who taught me to always be able to take care of myself.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

jlkz — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:15:24 GMT

No Comment........

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

maximillian — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:26:31 GMT

#18-YOWEE!

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

Silver Lining — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:34:59 GMT

It has been on Facebook. I think it's just a farse.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

ECBG — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:40:11 GMT

@PA Mom-mom wrote:
@ECBG Even though this doesn't appear to be authentic, it is good for a laugh. I'll never forget my soon to be MIL telling me, "No matter what happened during the day, make sure the house and the children are clean and in order when he walks through the door." I think I had a 5% success rate! Hahaha!

@PA Mom-mom Actually, it is authentic. The original has been copied and recopied and is too out of focus.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

ECBG — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:41:30 GMT

@Silver Lining wrote:
It has been on Facebook. I think it's just a farse.

@Silver Lining No, real, lol!!!

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

Eileen in Virginia — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:42:10 GMT

This looks a lot like the Anne Taintor line of products. They feature coffee mugs, kitchen towels, cocktail napkins, etc. with pictures from the '50's similar to what you've got and some of the snarkiest captions you're likely to come across in a PG setting. I've bought some in Sur la Table and Zulily. They're a riot!

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

Silver Lining — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:45:03 GMT

@ECBG wrote:
@Silver Lining wrote:
It has been on Facebook. I think it's just a farse.
@Silver Lining No, real, lol!!!

@ECBG

Oh, no. Please say it ain't so. I'm a feminist.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

IMW — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:45:53 GMT

@ECBG thanks for posting.

My favorite is last line "A Good Wife Knows Her Place"

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

PA Mom-mom — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:47:10 GMT

@ECBG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Wife%27s_Guide

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

colliemom4 — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:56:17 GMT

#14 Don't complain if he stays out all night? What the hey?!

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

ECBG — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:57:46 GMT

@Silver Lining wrote:
@ECBG wrote:
@Silver Lining wrote:
It has been on Facebook. I think it's just a farse.
@Silver Lining No, real, lol!!!

@ECBG
Oh, no. Please say it ain't so. I'm a feminist.

@Silver Lining Research can't be definitive! Think of June Cleaver! (Mother on "Leave It To Beaver). So much of her life mirrored the article.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

FLtricia — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 01:38:57 GMT

Actually many parts of this are real. I have a cook booklet that belonged to my grandmother. The first page or two were advice, and stated the things about fixing yourself up, grooming the kids, making him a great dinner, making him a drink. It did not have the parts about it being ok if he goes out all night and such.

But even what was there made me laugh. The words about knowing your place were not written, but inferred. My how times have changed,

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

Zhills — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 01:48:52 GMT

@ECBG wrote:
@Silver Lining wrote:
@ECBG wrote:
@Silver Lining wrote:
It has been on Facebook. I think it's just a farse.
@Silver Lining No, real, lol!!!

@ECBG
Oh, no. Please say it ain't so. I'm a feminist.
@Silver Lining Research can't be definitive! Think of June Cleaver! (Mother on "Leave It To Beaver). So much of her life mirrored the article.

You mean you really think this manual is just a farse?

Well, I was there and I can tell you, "You are correct!" It wasn't quite like that. We both worked, etc.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

KaySD — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 02:23:12 GMT

Not sure anyone but the Cleavers ever achieved this state, but it was an ideal that was pushed. Good grief.

Didja notice that, although you didn't know for sure what time hubby would be home, in the final minutes before that you were supposed to organize the kids, spruce up the house, rest, get pretty, and make the dinner and drinks?

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

jeanlake — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 02:49:39 GMT

Regarding #18 -- they tell us everything else but forgot to tell us exactly where our place is. I'm literal. I need specifics.

So, this is why my mom was one of the few working moms on the block. We kids did more housework, but we also had better snacks, bicycles and went on a vacation every summer. Dad wanted mom to stay home because he could provide. Mom said -- I just can't. She was an inspection supervisor at a phone company. She was also valedictorian of her high school class. No college but I thought she was great at everything - even if she didn't know her place. Thanks - fun post.

Re: The "Good Wife's Guide" 1955

ECBG — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 04:26:59 GMT

@jeanlake wrote:
Regarding #18 -- they tell us everything else but forgot to tell us exactly where our place is. I'm literal. I need specifics.

So, this is why my mom was one of the few working moms on the block. We kids did more housework, but we also had better snacks, bicycles and went on a vacation every summer. Dad wanted mom to stay home because he could provide. Mom said -- I just can't. She was an inspection supervisor at a phone company. She was also valedictorian of her high school class. No college but I thought she was great at everything - even if she didn't know her place. Thanks - fun post.
.

@jeanlake Love your post!