CELEBRATE THE WIFE...

This is an interesting article that caught my attention...



NST
2008/09/20
PAST PRESENT: My wife and I lived all alone,...
By : A. Kathirasen

....contention was our only bone. I fought with her, she fought with me, and things went on right merrily. — Robert Creeley



Is there such a thing? Of course. When there are all manner of days to celebrate this, that and the other, why not one to celebrate the wife?

After all, how often do married men sit back and consider the work done by their wives?

Take me, for example. When I prepare to leave for work, freshly-ironed clothes are available. Guess who ironed them?

I sit down at the dining table, and, hey presto, breakfast is served. Guess who prepares breakfast?

When I return from work, guess who is waiting to greet me? And guess who makes me a hot drink? And guess who keeps the house nice and tidy?

No, it's not the maid, lah.

But some people do have maids who take care of the mundane things such as house cleaning and washing.

Unlike in the distant past, many wives, especially in urban areas, are holding jobs and, therefore, maids have become necessary. And the rich wives, why would they want to spend time cleaning when they can go shopping or watch Brad Pitt smooching on video?

Also, given the stress on gender equality, wives today are more confident of themselves and, some husbands lament, often grab the driver's seat.

While men may vehemently deny it in public, in private some would agree with Bill Cosby who said: "Let us now set forth one of the fundamental truths about marriage: the wife is in charge."

Hmm ... could all the above have contributed to a depreciation in wife appreciation?

Although we still hear of wife abuse, the lot of the wife has improved tremendously. For in the past, the husband, as "lord and master", could physically punish her if he so desired without anyone batting an eye.

It would be understandable if not every husband rushes to appreciate his wife, particularly so if he is being trampled upon by a termagant or whipped by a vicious virago. Their feelings would be best expressed by these lines from the poet John Dryden:

"Here lies my wife: here let her lie!
Now she's at rest, and so am I".

But most husbands, I would venture to think, are fortunate enough not to fall in this category. (Is that a chorus of Nay that I hear? Nah, must be the wind.)

Husbands should not see their wives simply as sex objects. And I don't mean it in the sense that comedian Les Dawson says: "My wife is a sex object -- every time I ask for sex, she objects."

Neither should they open the car door only in circumstances described by Prince Philip:

"When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife."

But seriously, taking care of the house and turning it into a home can be much more tiring than working in the office.

DID you hug your wife yesterday? In case you did not know, it was Wife Appreciation Day.

Most often, wives just carry on doing their chores without complaint. Only when they fall sick, or are incapacitated, do husbands realise their pivotal role in the home

When a husband shifts his thoughts from the few times his wife has angered him to the many things she does for him and the family, he would learn to appreciate her better. Ditto, for the wife.

It is part of human tragedy that we usually appreciate a family member or friend after they have died or left us. While they live, we take them for granted.

So, go ahead, hug your spouse today and while you are at it, hug your parents and your children.

Do it everyday. And smile while you're doing it. It's a wholesome feeling.