I found these tips from a 1050s Home Economics class about how to prepare your home for when your husband comes back from work each day.
Some of the tips are right on the money! Some are a sadly out-dated as the role of women has changed drastically. Gave me a good little laugh and the pleasure of I’m no longer responsible for looking refreshed when my husband arrives home. I can’t touch up my make-up if I’m not wearing any.
Compiled by Ms. Leslie Blankship
Columbus, Ohio
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.
Yes – do plan ahead! Not just for your family but also for yourself! It saves you time, money, and last minute stress.
Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will 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-wary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Really? So glad we’re past this era.
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.
Yes – do this for yourself at the end of the day and you’ll prevent the mountain of clutter that piles up from a week of overlooking it.
The rest of these are just for your enterainment:
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 all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quite. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him. 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.
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-unwind.
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.
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, his need to be home and relax.
The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
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Julie Bestry
7 months ago
Bwahahahahahahahaha!
On the one hand, it’s ridiculously sexist. Assuming his problems, unless “he” is a fighter pilot, neurosurgeon or world leader, are less significant than yours is a recipe for co-dependence, low-self-esteem and resentment. You have to wonder what Simone de Beauvoir and Gloria Steinem thought when they read these sorts of things.
On the other, as you’ve noted, many of these are practical ideas for anyone — wife or husband, co-worker or assistant. “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.” Disregarding the “him” for a moment, how many of us have returned to our offices after a tough client day or work-related trip and had co-workers or assistants jump on us with things that throw our mojo into a tailspin?
As you wisely noted, Allison, we all need havens of uncluttered serenity and quiet. And perhaps we’d all be better off taking turns providing it to others.
toya
3 months ago
Why is everything that is seen as pro homemaker is met with cynicism? Being a full-time homemaker does not make me anti feminist. As woman, we can enjoy our decisions in life without condemning another woman\’s choice. What the feminist movement meant is a woman has a right to choose their own destiny. I enjoyed Allison\’s article. I am familiar with it. It was good to be be reminded of the choice I made and what it means to me.