The following list was in 1950s public high school home economics textbooks. No wonder marriages were happier back then and there were fewer divorces! I'm sure this list was removed from the textbooks during the 60s sexual revolution when feminism began in full force and women no longer wanted to serve their husbands nor be at home full time. The sad thing is that women have suffered from feminism just as much as children and husbands. This list is biblical; for it teaches wives how to love their husbands and be their help meets as God intended.
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 prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed. 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 happy and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Clear away clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up schoolbooks, toys, and papers. 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.
Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and face (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 the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile.
Don't greet with problems or complaints.
Don't complain if he is 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 and 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.
"Do you see what has happened in the last fifty years? Every high school girl was taught a conservative worldview that was more Biblical in perspective than what the churches teach today" (Debi Pearl). No wonder there were fewer divorces back then! Men were made to feel respected and appreciated for their hard work of providing for their families. Few if any churches teach this to women anymore and instead they would probably mock it as ridiculous. It's not ridiculous. It's doing what wives can do in order to be the best help meets to their husbands that they can be. Few know how to do this anymore.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Proverbs 31:27
*List from Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl
