HELPS FOR A HAPPY HOME

• Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know 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.
• Prepare yourself: 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. Be 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 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.
• 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 the noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer or vacuum. 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 at the dinner table. 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 other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his need to be home and relax.
• The Goal: Make your home a place of peace & order where your husband can relax.

When pondering these instructions of yesteryear, it is plain to see that we have come a long way in our homes…in the wrong direction! Let us return to Biblical, loving homes, where each member lives a life of selfless service for the others in the family.

This material was widely used in home economics classes for the training of high school girls in the 1950’s, teaching them how to prepare for married life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cindie Trieber has served the people of North Valley Baptist for more than three decades as the Pastor’s Wife. She teaches in the college and is a godly mother and “Nana." She recently completed her first book entitled With All My Heart.