Guidelines for the 1950’s housewifE

You’ve all no doubt seen, and laughed at these guidelines from the 1950s that have been circulating on social media for sometime now.

Lets re-write the guidelines for today!

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1. Assign roles according to the time schedules and capabilities of the members of the household.
2. If everyone has to fend for themselves to make their own meals the kitchen will constantly be in chaos. Ensure meal preparation is delegated to the person with the ability and the time to deliver. That person needs to be aware of everyone’s schedules and ensure each person has access to proper nutrition. It’s no good planning on getting a meal onto the table at 8pm if half of the household has commitments at 7pm. Get the timing right. Prepare additional meals to freeze for the times when someone’s schedule can’t realistically fit the household’s dinner time. Sit at the dinner table, no phones, no iPads, and no TV. Put some background music on. Talk to each other, listen to each other.
3. Keep yourself fresh. It’s great that you go to the gym to keep fit, but the other members of the household won’t appreciate the lingering smell from your work out. Wipe your feet before entering the house, or remove your shoes if they’re dirty.
4. Every household member needs to pick up after themselves, now not ‘later’. Live by the old proverb, ‘A place for everything, and everything in it’s place’.
5. The home is a sanctuary for everyone who lives there. Anyone can have a bad day, don’t make your bad day everyone else’s bad day. The 1950’s advice to speak in a pleasant voice still applies today.
6. Talk about your joys, your problems, your frustrations, your plans and your dreams. Listen to everyone else when they talk about theirs. Communicate.
7. Schedule family time for outings. Ban mobile phones and tablets from the picnic table. Talk to each other instead. Play games, go for walks or bike rides together – the families who play together stay together!
8. Don’t leave the toilet messy. You’re no longer in nappies, so don’t expect anyone else to clean up your mess. If you leave a stain, use the toilet brush
9. Straighten up your bed early in the day – (I don’t know why that’s important, but it just is)
10. Don’t think your spare time activities are more important than anyone elses. Everyone has a right to contribute equally, and the freedom to do what they choose with their spare time. Respect everyone’s spare time choices. Watching ‘Home and Away’, or reading a chapter of a book, or going for a fun run are all equally important so long as the appropriate time has been spent contributing to the smooth running of the household. Don’t try to swap your chore for someone else’s leisure activity. You may think your fun run is more important than an episode of Home and Away – it’s not!

That would be my set of rules. What do you think – are there any you don’t think fit into today’s world, or any that you think should be added?