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The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands
In her most provocative book yet, Dr. Laura urgently reminds women that to take proper care of their husbands is to ensure themselves the happiness and satisfaction they yearn for in marriage.
Women want to be in love, get married, and live happily ever after. Yet disrespect for men and disregard for the value, feelings, and needs of husbands has fast become the standard fo...more
Women want to be in love, get married, and live happily ever after. Yet disrespect for men and disregard for the value, feelings, and needs of husbands has fast become the standard fo...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
September 26th 2006
by Harper Perennial
(first published December 30th 2003)
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Mar 05, 2011
Malbadeen
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommended to Malbadeen by:
my ex-husband
Shelves:
read-on-the-way-to-divorce
My ex-husband brought this book home from work, for "no reason". I read it....right before the divorce.
I really liked the no-nonsense approach to this book. Throughout the book, I kept thinking of other names she could've titled this book. Here are a few:
*Stop being selfish you lousy wench
*You are not the center of the universe
*Duh, he's your husband. Not a doormat
*First you were Bridezilla, now you are Wifezilla
*You're not very likable. You're husband must be a saint
*Get a real life, soon please
*Change now or be single soon
*Are you mean or just stupid?
*Stop being selfish you lousy wench
*You are not the center of the universe
*Duh, he's your husband. Not a doormat
*First you were Bridezilla, now you are Wifezilla
*You're not very likable. You're husband must be a saint
*Get a real life, soon please
*Change now or be single soon
*Are you mean or just stupid?
After re-reading this a second time, I lowered my rating from three to two stars and edited this review. This book does have some very valuable reminders, but if you want to learn and apply the same useful tidibits without having to endure the verbal beating of women as a group, without being subject to a double standard, and without being left with the impression that the woman is what’s wrong with every marriage conflict that has ever occurred since 1960, then read For Women Only instead.
My m...more
My m...more
The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands is based on the premise that men are simple and rather stupid. The thesis then, on that basis, is "give him direct communication, respect, appreciation, food, and good lovin', and he'll do just about anything you wish--foolish or not."
Dr. Laura Schlessinger demeans men throughout the book, constantly noting that a man is "inexorably dependent upon the approval, appreciation, and acceptance" of the woman. That may be true, but his self-worth is and should b...more
Dr. Laura Schlessinger demeans men throughout the book, constantly noting that a man is "inexorably dependent upon the approval, appreciation, and acceptance" of the woman. That may be true, but his self-worth is and should b...more
I was given this book as a "gift" as I am getting married next month. I am actually somewhat offended by the person who gave it to me! Dr. Laura's basic points are good (respect your partner, communicate clearly, don't nag, etc.), but her methods are enough to make me cringe. This is 180 pages of her telling women to quit their jobs (because nature intends for you to raise kids, not work!) and skirt their own needs (in most cases) for the sake of pleasing their husbands. I'm all for stay-at-home...more
I really enjoyed this book. It is not often you come across a New York time Best seller that promotes the value of marriage and the important role we have as husband and wife in a marriage. She really talks about how society has become so feminisitic and men suffer because of it. She talks about how women want equal rights as men; however, they still want men to be the same that they always have been. She talks about how in relationships we on certain levels think our husbands our responsible fo...more
alright. i just finished this last night, and i'm still a little conflicted as to what i thought about it. if i could i'd probably give it 2 1/2 stars, but i'll admit that i had a definite bias going into reading the book because i can't stand dr. laura.
that being said, i can genuinely say that there were a few good points brought up in the book. namely that wives ought to treat their husbands with the love, honor, and respect they deserve. i also agree with her basic assumption that men and wo...more
that being said, i can genuinely say that there were a few good points brought up in the book. namely that wives ought to treat their husbands with the love, honor, and respect they deserve. i also agree with her basic assumption that men and wo...more
I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I didn't think this book was that terrible. I had to skim some repetitive (and occasionally shrill) portions, but it had some good things to say. Upon reading it, I reflected on how I could be a better wife. I also recognized myself in some of the listener comments and felt convicted about times that I don't appreciate Sam for the wonderful man that he is. The author gets a bit of a bad rap for her purported hypocrisy, requiring things of women that she does...more
My sister-in-law recommended this book to me, and I recommend it to all wives in turn. Dr. Laura gives it to you straight and undiluted. Although sometimes painful to swallow (like a strong medicine rather than a poison), I have learned so much about how I can make my marriage stronger and be a better support to my husband thereby strengthening my family.
Her values coincide with my own beliefs on both a personal and spiritual level. For instance, Dr. Laura asserts that there are innate differen...more
Her values coincide with my own beliefs on both a personal and spiritual level. For instance, Dr. Laura asserts that there are innate differen...more
I read this for a book club and it was very different from what I had expected. I was put-off by the title and felt it was condescending toward men. I quickly discovered that it was very different than my impression from the title. I found Dr. Laura to be extremely harsh and found it difficult to get through each page. Ever several pages, there seemed to be one sentence that I completely, 100% agreed with. But her delivery of the message is so abrasive. I felt like she was trying to teach women...more
I'm actually only halfway through this, but it has already changed my attitude toward my husband and marriage. I was somewhat skeptical starting this book, since I don't love listening to Dr. Laura or anything. But she really has a gift at uncovering people's motivations and showing them for what they really are. It made me realize why I have been doing (and not doing) certain things with regard to my husband. Most of these things were based on certain beliefs or attitudes that I didn't really r...more
A good reminder that we need to have an attitude of service in our marriage. That we are together to take care of each other and not only to have our spouse take care of us.
This book was not at all what I expected it to be, it was a lot better. I'll be honest I'm not a Dr. Laura fan normally, but I found this book to be exactly what my marriage needed. It laid out in "women-speak" why men need the things they do and don't need the things we want them to. It bluntly says that if you (the wife) ar...more
This book was not at all what I expected it to be, it was a lot better. I'll be honest I'm not a Dr. Laura fan normally, but I found this book to be exactly what my marriage needed. It laid out in "women-speak" why men need the things they do and don't need the things we want them to. It bluntly says that if you (the wife) ar...more
Dec 16, 2008
Cindy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Cindy by:
every married woman and a few husbands I am related to.
This book has really opened my eyes to my bad habits and mean behaviors towards my very loyal, loving and respectful husband. Dr. Laura is not for everyone, and some more liberal in their approach and beliefs about dating are often offended. I also find her hard to listen to on the radio at times because she is so straight to the point and candid, and at times "jerky" in how she talks to her listeners. Be that as it may, she has pegged the female community. She has pegged me. Since I have begun...more
Mar 29, 2008
Stephanie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
women who have been married over a year, preferrably with children
I read this book because several friends recommended it to me (including my husband -- he thinks he's so funny). At first, I was totally enthralled. I really liked her interpretation of the downfalls of the feminist movement. It made me think. I could really see how my perspective on marriage and gender roles in general were affected by feminism. I declared that I would embrace my role as wife and mother and all that it entails!
After this new idea wore off (about 10 pages in), I began to just f...more
After this new idea wore off (about 10 pages in), I began to just f...more
This is not a book I would have picked up on my own but it was on my book group list for this month. I'm not a big self help book reader and I don't know if that's because I don't think I need any help or because I don't want to admit I need help. I have never listened to Dr. Laura before so I had no idea she was such an anti feminist! This surprised me a bit as most outspoken women in the world today seem to take quite the opposite approach. This isn't what bothered me as those of you who know...more
Jan 02, 2008
Hoku Ho
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Women looking to recharge their relationship with or learn more about the psyche of their husband.
I really found this book to be helpful. There is a lot of popular opinion out there about the roles of a man vs. a woman in a marriage, many of them promoting entitlement and selfishness in women. What is refreshing about this book is that Dr. Laura doesn't coddle her readers...she calls women to the carpet for their role in the deterioration of the quality and excitement of their marriages.
The best thing about this book, however, is the way she helps explain the power that women have over thei...more
The best thing about this book, however, is the way she helps explain the power that women have over thei...more
OK, I know how this title sounds. Trust me, when a friend passed it on to me, I almost burned it on the spot along with my bra collection. But once I started skimming it, I sort of liked it and ended up reading the whole thing on a plane ride home from California (hey, one can only read Skymall so many times). The author's argument is based on the somewhat iffy logic that men are like dogs: eager to please, but not so much if you are mean to them. This book could be titled "Stop Being Such a Bit...more
Oct 12, 2007
Ivy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Women who are looking for a great way to make their relationship better.
This book sparked conroversy in my family. One half of us thought the book made good points and put the way we treated our men in to perspective. The other half of us thought that this approach was unrealistic. Overall, my feeling about the book really cross over to real life for me. Although, I am not willing to go as far as she recommends for some things...I am my father's stubborn daughter. I work in a dental office and my first few weeks were very difficult for me. The Doctors are really gre...more
Dr. Laura is a very harsh woman. With that being said...I loved this book. What can be more important than a happy home? I understand that many woman feel that Dr. Laura has joined forces with the men, but if you take what she offers....we, as women, will be happier. We will get what we desire from our husbands...their love and concern. I don't see her as a traitor, but as a woman wanting to make our lives easier and our marriages more successful. How rude! By the way...why is it so painful for...more
This is my first Dr. Laura book and I had mixed feelings about it. We read it for book club in December and it was a GREAT discussion....aka......no husband bashing and a lot of constructive comments. Anyway, I liked it because I came away with several areas that I could improve and there was some very constructive advice for women in general. BUT....it was a little too black and white for me. She made it sound like ALL women were petty and selfish and don't appreciate their husbands. She made i...more
I vacillate between 2 and 3 stars on this The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, a thrift store find. I’ve witnessed the oos and ahhs over Dr. Laura. Not into talk radio, and always into taking proper care of my own husband, I purchased this cheap opportunity to “hear” Dr. L visually on a subject of importance.
Written like one of her radio shows, excerpts from callers mingle with Dr. Laura’s advice. Simplified, Dr. Laura’s recommendations and admonishments focus primarily on sex and food. Her...more
Written like one of her radio shows, excerpts from callers mingle with Dr. Laura’s advice. Simplified, Dr. Laura’s recommendations and admonishments focus primarily on sex and food. Her...more
I am only recently married, yet I know that I, like every other woman, could stand to be told and reminded to think less of myself and more of my husband. This book is perfect at giving that reminder and at pointing out some of the silly, unkind, selfish and even manipulative means a woman will go to in an effort to get her way with her husband. I really like that Dr. Laura is blunt (some may say harsh) in the advice she gives to married women in this book, but I think that that is the wake-up c...more
Ok, first of all I don't agree with everything in the book -- but after I read the book I had the best 6 weeks of my marriage, so take it for what it's worth. Also I like to give this book as a wedding gift. I wish I had read this book when I first got married -- it really helps with expectations and would have helped me to see things through her perspective.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger tells readers upfront that this book is written for a very narrow group--married women whose husbands are doing all of the large things right and who are in marriages where abuse, addictions and adultery are not present. (I really wish, particularly since she is a licensed therapist whose perspective should be broader, that she also included a reference to mental health disorders. Actually, she does in passing once, "If a woman does not marry a sociopath or a narcissist, t...more
Apr 13, 2011
Dani
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
women who tend to want to be in control...(in other words, most of us)
Shelves:
self-improvement,
non-fiction
True to form, Dr. Laura doesn't mince words and she isn't worried about hurting anyone's feelings. And even though she comes across as grossly one-sided and seems to over-generalize a lot, I think she's right on in most of what she says.
The message of her book is simple: if women want to be happy in their marriages, they need to be a lot less selfish, disabuse themselves of some false feminist doctrine, and ditch their flawed notions of control. Getting what you want from your husband involves...more
The message of her book is simple: if women want to be happy in their marriages, they need to be a lot less selfish, disabuse themselves of some false feminist doctrine, and ditch their flawed notions of control. Getting what you want from your husband involves...more
The book seemed much less harsh than Dr. Laura's radio show (yes, I did, on occasion, listen to Dr. Laura!) — even excerpts FROM her show which are included in the book seem much friendlier. Perhaps it’s the medium; I’m not hearing the tone of voice as I read.
I kind of expected I was going to give myself a guilt-trip by reading this book. “The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands” is a title that would dredge up thoughts of how I am not the most stellar cook and how I neglect serving vegetable si...more
I kind of expected I was going to give myself a guilt-trip by reading this book. “The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands” is a title that would dredge up thoughts of how I am not the most stellar cook and how I neglect serving vegetable si...more
This book reads like Fascinating Womanhood written for our day instead of the 1950's. It is very straightforward, and I like the quotes intersperced from her male listeners.
I do think Dr. Laura goes a little too far blaming women for unhappy marriages as if the husband can't do anything about it. On the other hand, it is women as a whole who have strayed from our natural roles. In general, I agree that we have taken the feminist movement too far and it has messed up our lives. Unfortunately, I t...more
I do think Dr. Laura goes a little too far blaming women for unhappy marriages as if the husband can't do anything about it. On the other hand, it is women as a whole who have strayed from our natural roles. In general, I agree that we have taken the feminist movement too far and it has messed up our lives. Unfortunately, I t...more
I had mixed feelings about this book. I think it had some really good ideas of how wives can better care for their husbands and listening to it in the care with Daniel helped. He would tell me, "wow, she's right, that is how I feel" or "I don't know if that really applies to me."
I had a hard time listening during some parts because of the approach she takes. I felt like I was getting attacked through some of the book and put up defenses and didn't listen. I also thought that she took some of th...more
I had a hard time listening during some parts because of the approach she takes. I felt like I was getting attacked through some of the book and put up defenses and didn't listen. I also thought that she took some of th...more
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Feb 20, 2013 12:47pm
Feb 20, 2013 12:48pm