Here are my top five:
- Be happier and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
- 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.
- 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.
- Things to avoid: 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.
- 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.
Of course, when I read these to my husband, he said, “Man, I wished I lived in the 50’s!” Just kidding right, Frazier?
With so many women in the working world, I think some of these suggestions are just plain silly and don’t stand up to the test of time. I mean touch up your make-up and be fresh looking for when your husband gets home? Yeah, right!
It’s also interesting to think of how the role of a wife has evolved over the past few decades. Thankfully, I think most grooms and husbands have a bit more realistic expectations as well!
What do y’all think makes up “good” wife nowadays? Comment below!
Deborah Edwards, a recent newlywed bride from Little Rock, is an account executive for our sister publication Little Rock Family. She will chronicle the exciting days of settling into married life, buying a house, nesting in said house and all the in between. Read more about her adventures as a wifey on her personal blog, Edwards Newlywed Nest.