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When my grandson, Joel, got engaged, I decided to jot down a few words of marital wisdom for him, based on my vast experience as a husband. Then I thought, why share this wisdom with only one person when I can share it with the whole world. So, I started a blog, listing new marital advice every week. As the popularity of the blog grew, people suggested that the material should be turned into a book and, well, here it is!
Peter Davidson has written a charming book for his grandson Joel, a true testament of love to his family. Beverly, Peter’s wife, is surely laughing at all the humorous anecdotes despite the playful jabs in her direction, and to all women who become wives and seek to train the love of their lives into perfect husbands. While stereotypes abound, each tidbit of advice is funny because it’s true. Self-help books often fail to enjoy the comedy of life, but not Peter. He melds real life with cliché in the most charming manner while maintaining a fast pace, making for the perfect nighttime read.
I suggest reading the 137 pages in small doses as the stereotypes can be a bit overwhelming. Behind the typecasts is real advice to take into consideration. Marriage is no small joke and few people walk into marriage with advice to help them accommodate their new lifestyle. Joel has the unique opportunity to garner advice from his grandpa without complaint and long conversations in the middle of turmoil, but to have advice at his fingertips. Of course, most men fail to read instructions manuals so this lovely book may have been written in vain!
The tiny book addresses many topics that come up in marriage. First, Peter tackles the wedding. The big day belongs to the woman and not to the man. I haven’t met a man yet who felt he needed a hand in the planning, so I’m not sure how useful this section will be but a good way to start a book on marriage with the wedding day. Peter moves on to married life and how important compromise is, or accepting the woman’s point of view. Learning to live with in-laws, how to avoid farting in bed, does this dress make me look fat, and eating your wife’s cooking.
My favorite chapter by far was “Bragging Rights.” Hopefully, before two people enter into a marriage, they will have their own level of self-confidence, but when two become one that self-confidence becomes shared and I love that Peter has touched on bragging about each other. Women should read this book too, not just to see what men think of them, but to see how we can be better wives, even if the book is satire. Other favored topics come in with valuable advice, some funny like when a woman decides to hold a garage sale and more practical advice, such as how to invest money. Only one section made me groan, which was the language of women. Yes, women have our one language but even for cliché, this section went overboard.
While most of the counseling guides young Joel, and all newly married men, toward saying “Yes, dear,” and blindly accepting life as the lesser half, this book amplifies the good attributes to keep a marriage going for decades, not just years, as is so common for this time. America needs more books teaching youth how to be adults and this is the challenge Peter took in honor of his grandson. My hope is more youth become willing to listen to the sage advice of older generations to carry into the future. Although some aspects from the book I expect will be received by the current generation as sexist toward women, I hope people will see the love in between each line and celebrate the differences between the sexes without taking offense of an experienced man taking notice of the distinctions between husbands and wives.
Now available in bookstores
