- From Home Economics High
School Text Book, 1954
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- 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 are part of the warm
welcome needed.
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- Prepare yourself. Take 15
minutes to rest so that you'll 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-weary people.
Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may
need a lift.
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- Clear away the clutter. Make one
last trip through the main part of the home just before your
husband arrives, gather 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.
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- 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.
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- 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 and be glad he is
home.
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- Some don'ts: Don't greet him
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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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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