On Choosing a Wife

The man overheard his college-student son on the phone with a friend.
"So, she is nice with a good personality, translation a real bow-wow."
Later, the man told his son that his criteria he needed to amend,
For one day he would be choosing a wife and obviously he did not know how.

"What do you value most in a girl you want to seriously date?"
"Well, big boobs are a plus, but a great bod and pretty face are a must."
Shaking his head, the man said "Son, you may not believe me, but just you wait,
As you gain maturity, those desired characteristics you will adjust."

"You must not let outward physical traits decide your life's mate.
Boobs droop, firm abdomens go flabby, faces wrinkle, hair turns gray.
If you marry for looks, you will come to realize after it's too late
That far more important qualities in a wife are what keeps unhappiness away.

Having a wife who shares your philosophy and your life goals,
Who is dependable, caring, loving, sharing, always considerate,
Hard-working, unselfish, frugal, 'nice' -- these things all told
Will make your marriage work, make your life together great."

"Dad, if I dated a girl not pretty, my friends would give me funny looks.
They would call her names behind her back, ridicule me without end."
"Son, one day you will care less how good she looks, more about how well she cooks.
It will be less important to win friends' approval, more to have your wife as a friend."

I could see my son was thinking hard about all that I had said.
I felt proud that just maybe some of it was sinking into his thick head!
"You know, Dad, that old men come to value those traits is plain to see.
Could it be because finding a woman their age with young looks is an impossibility?"

Harry Edward Gilleland      10.23.01