we’ve come a long way!
here’s a fossil-like piece of advice for housewives in 1969:
“when father returns home in the evening, he needs a quiet transition period between the demands of the world and the demands of his family. father should not be met at the door with a bombardment of complaints and requests. a ready drink, a hot shower, the daily mail, the weekly magazine, and the ‘no questions’ period help create an oasis of tranquility that adds greatly to the quality of family life. from early childhood, children learn that when daddy comes home, he needs a short period of calm and comfort” (ginott, 136).
dear god, thank you for not making me a housewife in 1969. amen.
[source found in bibliography section of sidebar.]
Tags: fossil, housewife, quotation, staying-at-home
March 9th, 2010 at 7:25 am
I wish I could put my hands on the parenting book someone gave me when Wilkes was born (NOT as a joke, mind you!!) that said I should freshen up and put on lipstick before husband gets home….amazing.
Not being a housewife in 1969– Add it to my list of things I frequently forget to be thankful for.
March 9th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I would have been kicked out of the housewife club for sure!
March 9th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
i’m deeply grateful as well. in fact, when elmore and i were dating, i warned him several times that if his happiness depended on coming home to a hot meal and a clean house every day, that i was not the woman for him and he should move along. so today he thought about dinner, picked up fish, and will cook it for us tonight. i’m a lucky woman.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
If that just said “parent” instead of “father” I’d agree 100%! I’d love for someone to hand me a drink and the newspaper when I walked in the door, and if there was a half-hour of tranquility, that would be nice for ALL of us, not just Dad. What’s good for the gander is good for the goose.