It seems "Dr." Laura is at it again -- she's just published "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands," which is pretty much just what it sounds like and is in the Amazon.com Top Ten. TAI seems to be celebrating Quotation Day around here, so I'll let the good people at Publisher's Weekly give you a taste:

Unabashedly asserting that man is a "very simple creature," who needs only "direct communication, respect, appreciation, food, and good loving'" to respond with devotion, compassion and love, this controversial marriage and family therapist claims that every woman can achieve a deeply satisfying marriage if she adheres to certain fundamentals men require. Preparing dinner, caring for the children without complaint, greeting her husband with a kiss and engaging in sexual intimacy instead of "tearing down a husband's necessary sense of strength and importance" can result in the harmonious marriage women crave. [Emphasis added...duh.] While many of her listeners and readers claim her unequivocal advice has salvaged teetering marriages and improved marital harmony, others perceive Schlessinger as a throwback to what many see as years of female oppression in the home.

I'd love to know what she thinks constitutes "good loving"...ew, on second thought, no I would not. Unfortunately Amazon hasn't set up that "Look Inside!" feature on this book yet, but something tells me it'll look a lot like this book -- and hey, allow me to quote from it:

If you keep quiet, keep breathing, and remind yourself that this too shall pass, the one stress you won't have is a marital problem. What a relief!

:- 0