The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2003
The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands
1731
Wed, 07-11-2007 - 6:29pm

I recently read "The Proper Care & Feeding of Relationships" by Dr. Laura Schlessinger and was surprised to find I agreed with much of what she said in the book...so I returned to the library to borrow "The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands" and again...I find I agree with most of what she writes. I would have scoffed at the titles alone 12 years ago when I was married, working up the corporate ladder with my 2 year old in dc full time from 11 months on. I thought I had it all.

I ended up divorced and now the 2 year old is 14 and I realized recently how fast she is growing up and that I really missed a lot of time with her and my husband by choice(working).

I am remarried and 3 yrs ago our son was born. I returned to work when he was 10 months and found what I think is the best dayhome I could have...they were amazing and very loving. Our family is very close with them now....I was working(primary breadwinner) and couldn't shake the feeling that I was putting my career ahead of my family when my family is monumentally more important to me than the money I was bringing in. We COULD change our situation to enable me to be at home...so we did and I now wonder why any mother who is emotionally healthy and does not *have* to work for the family to get by....doesn't stay at home? I am not meaning that disrespectfully or sarcastically as I myself did not make that choice with myt first. I resigned 9 months ago. I am proud to be at home even though I wasn't with my first(which I now regret but didn't think I would!). I am proud to send my husband off to work with hot coffee and a lunch I made that always includes homebaked treats....welcome him home to a clean home and wonderful meal...spend my days teaching my son and playing with him; treasuring it sincerely...and being here for my 14 year old daughter whether she needs me to yell at; or hug and talk...or just to stop her from sitting on the computer all day or getting into mischief.

To give you the tone of the books I will give you a couple of excerpts;

"The issue of "roles" in a marriage and family is often a sensitive one. Stay-at-home moms as well as hardworking primary-breadwinner men are not given much respect from our society-at-large. Feminist educators and activists keep trying to squeeze men and women into niches that may simply not be a good match for their innate qualites...as well as their masculine and feminine drives. It is more in the female nature to nest and nurture. It is more in the male nature to conquer and protect. Frankly, the more we ignore the true, inherent masculine and feminine qualites of people, the farther apart we pull them."

"...feminism has brainwashed women to believe that all men are inconsiderate beasts you can't rely on. Therefore, the threat goes, never give up your independence. This mentality has confsed and frightened women into an avoidance of becoming dependant on their men. To protect themselves, women ferociously parry with their men, while denigrating their own desires to tend the home and raise children. Then they call me all angry and depressed... nd they think it is because of their husbands."

So...what do you think?

*edit to correct a typo




Edited 7/11/2007 7:57 pm ET by hi_kimmie

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:19pm

Well I will admit, during the school year, we do have tv rule in our house.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2005
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:23pm
Very true.
Avatar for mkatherine
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:36pm
I will come out of the closet (again) and confess that I was a HUGE tv junkie as a kid and honestly I don't get too worked up about it-- it's made for some great party conversation when I tell people I can name the entire cast of just about any 1970s sitcom or buddy cop drama. And I still turned out to be fairly outdoorsy with a love of classic literature so I dn't get all that worked up over Liza's growing obsession with reruns of REBA on Lifetime...

 

Yes. We. Did.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-18-2007
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:36pm
Hey, don't knock it.

Yeah well, that's just, ya know, like, your opinion, man-The Big Lebowski 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:42pm

To our girls, Barbie had just one function--to be rescued by GI Joe. Joe was just so much more fun than dressing Barbie. Me, on the other hand, used Barbie as a fashion model/dressmaker's dummy, aka mannequin. She was there for me to design clothing on.

Chris

The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2007
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:43pm
I thought that's where DH's come in handy.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:43pm

Mine are addicted to the food network, sci-fi and military channels...oh sports of course.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:44pm

Thanks--I never thought of that. Learn something all the time on this board. :)

Chris

The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2007
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:45pm

Hi! I'm a 42 year old mother of 3.

I work out of the home FT as a data systems engineer for a major telephone company.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 12:45pm
You're just a girly girl, that's what you are! And as a WOH/WAH you obviously didn't spend enough time every day teaching your dd's to follow in your footsteps!

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