Home Economics

[chris68]

The following is from an actual 1950's Home Economics

textbook intended for High School girls, teaching them 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 of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.



3. CLEAR AWAY CLUTTER: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up schoolbooks,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'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.



5. MINIMIZE THE NOISE: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.  Greet him with a warm smile and kisses, letting him know you're glad to see him.



6. SOME DON'TS: Don't greet him with problems or complaints.

Don't complain  if he's 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 lay 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 your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.



WELCOME TO 2000!



1. HAVE DINNER READY: Make reservations ahead of time. If your day becomes too hectic just leave him a voice mail message regarding where you'd like to eat and at what time. This lets him know that your day has been crappy and gives him an opportunity to change your mood.



2. PREPARE YOURSELF: Make sure to change out of your work

clothes into something comfortable. Who cares if he likes it or not... after all, it's most likely his T-shirt and boxers.



3. CLEAR AWAY CLUTTER: Yeah right! Tell the kids and your

husband if they want maid service, they better call one!



4. PREPARE THE CHILDREN: Send the children to their rooms to

watch television or play Nintendo.



5. MINIMIZE THE NOISE: Yell to him over the loud music your kids are playing, that this is what you had to put up with while he was gone.



And mention that it was his decision to buy the kids a new CD player in the first place.



6. SOME DON'TS: Don't greet him with problems and complaints.



Let him speak first, and then your complaints will get more attention and remain fresh in his mind throughout dinner. Don't complain if he's late for dinner, simply remind him that the leftovers are in the fridge and you left the dishes for him to do.



7. MAKE HIM COMFORTABLE: Tell him where he can find a blanket if he's cold. This will really show you care.



8. LISTEN TO HIM: But don't ever let him get the last word.



9. MAKE THE EVENING HIS: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other places of entertainment; go with a friend or go shopping (use his credit card). Familiarize him with the phrase "Girls' Night Out!"



10. THE GOAL: Try to keep things amicable without reminding him that he only thinks the world revolves around him. Obviously he's wrong, it revolves around you.

 

[whitesatin]

As far as the first 10 rules go, I only have one thing to say, "GAG ME WITH A GINSU".  



The second 10 rules make so much more sense. Gee, I wonder if it was a man that wrote those first ten rules? Hmmmm?    



WhiteSatin

[chris68]

Would be interesting to see who wrote which one.  Seems more accurate to the Welcome to 2000. (Wishful thinking for most of those first ten anymore).



Just had to post this one, I've seen the first 10 but I hadn't seen the last ten before.



Enjoy.

Chris68

[radaro]

No wonder so many women suffered from depression in the 50s and 60s.  Thank you to the feminists of yesteryear who taught us that a woman can do what she wants to (homemaker, admin professional, doctor, lawyer, etc.) and is not bound to a role because of her sex!

[msmarieh]

Well I laughed awfully hard when I read this. I agree that of course much of it is outdated but rather than scrapping them entirely, I'd rather just see them modernized a little differently - by having hubby give back as much as he receives.



I don't believe in hubby being the king of his castle (much though he really REALLY wishes he were), but taking the time to stop and remind each other on a daily basis that you are special and loved is not a bad thing. Stupid though it seems, I like the "Donna Reed" routine with cloth napkins and dinner on the table (mind you not as often as my hubby might like). Somehow making chocolate chip cookies just seems like love to me (yes, I know Nestle has done a great advertising job and yes, sadly we've both gained weight as a result of this happy delusion!).



I certainly wouldn't go back to the old way of not being allowed an opinion (or a vote!), but neither would I throw the baby out with the bathwater. Many of the rules just boil down to make him feel special and welcomed. The caveat is that he needs to return the favor by doing the same.



Just a little alternate perspective from having been happily married for ten years and having watched my parents through 50 years of marriage and 10 kids...



Marie  

[yankeestarbuck]

For my fiance to do for me!  He out of work right now, and I'm sorry, if I'm working all day, bringin the paycheck home, get off your butt and get in the bathroom with a scrub brush!  We're child-free and taking care of the cats is not a job, so he's got no excuse.  It's nice that all of him comic books are listed on the website to see what the collection is worth, but the recycleables need to be taken out, huh?  Men are so funny, aren't they?

[chris68]

You would think it would work that way, but hubby gets home by 3:00pm and you would think he would start dinner in time to get an early start, but waits for me to get home at 4:45 and 5:00 to start.  Sometimes though it's just too early to eat dinner.



Most of the time if I ask him he will start dinner for me and is pretty good about that stuff.  He'll even surprise me on a Friday night and have laundry half done.  That's a real surprise.  Probably just checking to see if he still knows how  



I agree yankee, men can be funny about stuff like this.



Chris68

[radaro]

I think men are genetically programmed to ignore dirt.  My husband will do anything I ask him to do (yup, ANYTHING) but he will never take the initiative to do it on his own.  Even then, I have to be really specific.  For example, I can't say "clean up the kitchen", instead I have to say, "wipe the counters, take out the trash, etc." otherwise it won't be up to my "standard".  I'm sorry but the kitchen isn't clean if you can smell the garbage at 50 paces and the counter is covered in crumbs!



But I have to absolutely agree about the posting on mutual respect and affection!

[winkiebear]

Our joke is that my hubby is a better housewife than me!



House is always clean - he can't function if it's 'dirty'.  Of course, his definition of 'dirty' is my definition of 'cluttered'.  To me, cluttered = livable.



Eh, at least we agree on HOW to clean!



 

[chris68]

Winkie,



You are one of the lucky ones, though hubby and I can both tend to be pack rats, just don't want to throw anything away until we absolutely have to, then look out.  



If you ask hubby to clean and he knows he has to, he does do an excellent job.  But when he has to.  



I do agree with radar that you have to have mutual respect for each other and work together, otherwise it will never work.



Chris68

[Katie G]

Just kidding!  



When we first got married, I would get home from work 45 minutes later than hubby.  After a week of having to wait for me to get home to get dinner started, he surprised me by having dinner in the oven and half done by the time I got home.  He had gone to the store, bought some ground beef, called his mom and said,  

[whitesatin]

Finish your story that got cut off. I'm dying to hear what happened. It's like a Soap Opera and I need, need, need to hear what happened. PLLEEEAAAASSSE, I'm BEGGGINNNG YOU!!!



WhiteSatin