by Miranda Miller-Smith

Created on: August 23, 2009   Last Updated: August 26, 2009

If you were to ask me if I consider myself to be a good wife, I would have to honestly say I am a decent wife. I know there are many things I need to do to improve my marital skills. I have only been married for a few months. I realize that I have many things to learn about marriage.

I think that a good wife is patient; she makes time for her husband, regardless of how busy her day is. I am not always patient. I sometimes snap at my husband without provocation. I should not take my frustrations with external situations out on my partner.

A good wife is a good listener. She always lends her ear for her husband, and picks up on what he is not saying. A good wife should be able to read between the lines. As an example, my husband lost a filling recently; he didn't tell me this, but I finally picked up on it and made an appointment with the dentist. Men don't like to complain about pain, and some men don't communicate true feelings. A good wife wants to help regardless of the situation.

A good wife is supportive. She not only wants to hear about her husband's dreams, but also wants to help make those dreams a reality. A good wife is willing to encourage her husband to pursue his dreams without worrying about how these dreams will affect her. Many women worry that their husband won't have room in his dream for her, but that obviously isn't the case or the husband would not share the dreams!

A good wife makes an effort to keep her home and family in order. This does not mean that you must be a perfect housekeeper, but maintaining a routine and some organization shows that you care about your families quality of life. Making home cooked meals every day and having an immaculate house are novel ideas, but not what I am trying to get across. A good wife acknowledges that she doesn't always have time to have a perfect home, but if she makes an effort like, once a week to prepare a nice meal and straighten up the home, that can speak volumes.

A good wife is independent and can preform many tasks on her own. She will be willing and able to ask for help when necessary.

A good wife is gracious and understanding. Sometimes husbands have to work late, or bring home an unexpected client, friend or relative on occasion. A good wife will welcome these people into her home and make them feel welcome. She won't get furious if her husband is ten minutes late coming home from work, and she will also respect her husbands need to relax. A good wife will give her husband personal time after a long day at work. She will also indulge herself with a few moments of relaxation and private time.

A good wife will realize her needs are as important as anyone else's and she will take the time to take care of herself on a regular basis.

Most importantly, I think a good wife is a good friend.

I hope that I can learn to utilize all of these skills in my marriage, so that I might live up to my own standards of what makes a woman a good wife.

Learn more about this author, Miranda Miller-Smith.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.