Fascinating Womanhood

Yes, this is an old book.  The book was first published in 1962 and were inspired by booklets that were published in the 1920's.  I actually borrowed it from my mom's book shelf and was "Fascinated" by it's title... Fascinating Womanhood  After I started reading it I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the book and found it very enlightening and applicable to my own life and relationship with my husband.  I was looking for things about the book online and found really negative things written about the book.  It encourages woman to stay at home and be mothers and put your husband and family first instead of career and this gets all kinds of women upset.  She uses many quotes from the bible in reference to woman's role.  I found it interesting that you can still take classes.  It looks like now all classes are taught online.    This may be a hard book to get your hands on, if you have trouble you may want to check your mom's or grandma's book shelves.  This is what the book on the back cover says this book will tell you:

•  How to become an ideal woman
• What men find fascinating in women
• How to understand men
• How to bring out the best in your husband
• How to react when a man is thoughtless, unfair or negligent
• How to arouse his deepest feelings of love and tenderness
• How to gain true happiness in marriage

Some pretty big ideals but the thing I learned most from this book is that this doesn't come from changes you hope your spouse will make, it all starts with you.  That's really where you can only start is if you want change it's got to start with yourself.  Just like many self help book, I didn't agree with every part of this book but I found it very interesting and I could see things that I could do better to respond better when I'm upset with my husband.  Some of my favorite parts were the many testimonials of woman who had used some of the ideas to improve their relationship.  Most I found very enlightening.  I will warn you, there are some very old fashioned ideas in this book but you see, I think in spirit, I'm a bit old fashioned too.

Here are a few quotes from the book.

A man wants a woman who will place him at the top of her priority list--not second, but first.  Being placed in an inferior position can cause the man to form bitter resentments towards his wife and even his children.

Accept your husband at face value and admire his masculinity.  Although admiration is all important to a man, it will not be appreciated unless it is accompanied by acceptance.  If you admire him in some ways but are critical of him in others, it will be like serving him a piece of moldy pie and trying to disguise it by putting whipped cream on top.  You will have to accept the total man before your admiration will be well received.  

The greatest joy in a man is in being a hero to the woman he loves.  This is all important to him in so much that if he does not receive her praise, he can be painfully disappointed.  And yet how many heroes have been honored everywhere except at home?  A man may work for years to earn an educational degree only to have his wife fail to comment, or if she does, it is more with the attitude "it's about time"  Or, if she receives the news that her husband has received an award for meritorious service, she acts as though any other man could have done as well.  Or imagine how painful for her to esteem some other man as a hero such as a brother, father, or man in the community.  Although modest comments about other men are proper, it would be a mistake for a woman to be overly enthusiastic about another man's accomplishments.

Inner happiness is a quality of spirit which must be earned by a victory over our weaknesses and an upward reach for the perfection of our character.  It is like swimming upstream.  It is found in the great efforts and achievements of life and in faithful devotion to duty.