Yes, we have another "manual' today! This should really be called 150 Secrets to a Happy Marriage, cause as we all know, a happy marriage comes from a happy wife! If Mama is disgruntled, everybody is gonna know about it!
Synopsis: Joe is one man in a household of females (a wife and four daughters), unless you want to count the neutered dog. Sanity and his general survival are dependent on him understanding the fairer sex, and more specifically, keeping the relationship with his wife healthy. As he says "I live on Planet Estrogen, everything in our house is pink. The morning game is "who will cry first?", followed by the repeat edition at night."
There have been burritos to the face, spats over the remote control, and some pretty close calls, such as when a naïve Joe told the pregnant love of his life that it’s “not all about you!”. He lived, but barely. In the process, he has finally learned 150 Secrets to a Happy Wife.
What are some of the 150 Secrets to a Happy Wife?:
- How do you walk the fine line between being helpful and being a sugary muffin-cake? Hint: You’ll always be regarded as helpful when it comes doing your fair share and maybe a little extra. What women want more than big cars and money is help around the house and with the kids. that and some unconditional love, you've got a happy wife! Your wife is NOT your mother and you shouldn't treat her like it.
- Where do your rank on the sensitivity chart? Can you locate the Hallmark and Lifetime channels? Gumm gives you a great quiz (pg 12) to see where you are, and what you need to do to fix your level back to medium!
- What would it be like if a guy got pregnant? His description of what would happen to a man if he got pregnant is hilarious (do NOT drink any liquid while reading it, unless you like snorting liquid out your nose from laughing so hard) (pg30).
- How do you to quit acting like you’re The Man and actually be The Man? Do you REALLY want to be single? Help your wife around the house and with the kids- you know you're thankful you have them!
- Your wife is NOT a father figure, don't make her be one. That's your job! The "I'm busy" excuse no longer cuts it. Don't make the grandfathers be more of a father to your kids. You'll be the subject of your kids therapy and disappoint them dearly if you're not there for games, recitals and questioning of boyfriends!
Review:
I'm not sure if this book is really meant for men, or to make their wives delirious from laughing so hard, they'll ignore their husbands' foibles! I pretty much laughed and snorted my way thru the book. Gumm has a lot of wonderful rules, like #118-buy her jewelry (or a piece of furniture) instead of an appliance- they both last a long time, have sentimental value and can be shown off. Ka-ching! Hands up for every wife who would agree to that one!
His chapter of things NOT to say, unless you want to die is extremely funny, and most wives will be able to relate a story or two to the varied things to say to die:
- Is this what we're having for dinner? His advice to "never follow it up by the comment 'its' not how my mom cooks it', or you may find the full crockpot over your head" had be laughing hysterically!
- You're going to wear that? I had to laugh when he said "more than likely you are NOT a fashion icon, you can barely dress yourself. you are in no position to be the fashion police. If she's happy with it and it doesn't show too much skin, roll with it and say it's good".
- What did you do to your hair? His comment of "what she does with her hair is her business, just agree that it looks great if she's happy with and don't make any comments if it's bad", is pretty sounds advice!
- You think YOUR day was stressful? Mine was worse! I loved this last one- his story of his day at work vs her day at home with kids was hilarious!
I think this book would be great for pre-marriage classes! It's honest, truthful and tackles the Venus and Mars questions in a way everybody can relate to. It would also be good for discussions in family/marriage counseling, or even to help break the ice at couples events! It's a quick read and I highly recommend it!
About the Author: Joe Gumm is an award-winning author and has been featured in the Chicago Sun-Times, and Fort Worth Star-Telegram, MSN.com, and Parents magazine and has been seen regionally on NBC, FOX, and ABC. Joe is an experienced broadcaster who worked as a reporter/anchor for ESPN for eight years. He has also worked as a public address announcer for NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, Major League Soccer, and NASCAR, and more. He lives in Texas with his wife and four daughters. For more information on Joe, check out www.joegummonline.com.
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for purposes on this blog, free of charge, from Source Books .No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told what to say about the book.
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