On April 20, the United States celebrates Husband Appreciation Day to encourage women to show their husbands some love and much-deserved appreciation.
In these changing times, it’s a struggle to perpetuate such a holiday when people carefully tread on what the world has learned about problematic gender roles and dismantle them.
When we ask traditional wives how they show appreciation to their husbands, answers might mostly vary from preparing their favorite meals to giving them a lengthy massage after their long day’s work.
However, circumstances have changed in recent years, when women have started taking their places in varying workplaces while men are no longer discouraged from cooking and staying home.
To cure everyone’s curiosity, CDN Digital interviewed what one might consider a modern wife, a 23-year-old woman with a thriving career who married the love of her life immediately after graduating from college.
Meet Karla, a modern Cebuana
As a career woman, Karla Marie Frances Niere prioritizes her career and personal goals more than anything else. In an interview with CDN Digital, Karla describes herself as a modern woman who knows her worth and what she wants from life.
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Karla Marie Frances Tejano in her prenup | Photo: Joseph Bacalso Films and Stills
Currently a unit head associate at an insurance company, she dreams of becoming a lawyer after her various stints as a local beauty queen and an HR practitioner in huge local companies.
With career being her top priority, it might shock everyone that when her long-time boyfriend Rhys Tejano proposed to marry her in a wine-and–dine restaurant three weeks before securing her degree in psychology, she did not hesitate to say yes.
“I said yes because I knew he was the one. His patience, respect, and commitment to our relationship reassured me that I have nothing to worry about,” Karla responded
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Karla Marie Frances and Rhys Tejano in their wedding photos | Photo: Joseph Bacalso Films and Stills
With that in mind, Karla married Rhys in a private wedding ceremony merely months after they both graduated Magna cum laude from a university in Cebu. Their nuptials were celebrated by their closest family members and friends, who supported the couple’s decision.
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Traversing the married life
With a new surname, Karla Marie Frances Tejano lives with her husband and one furbaby, a half-shih tzu and a half-chihuahua dog named Kaeya, in their cozy home in Consolacion, Cebu.
When asked why she chose to take Rhys’ surname, Karla said it didn’t cross her mind during their pre-nuptials to take his surname. Only during their wedding, when Rhys’ family welcomed her to the Tejano family, did she realize that she was fine with taking his surname.
Nonetheless, Karla believed that taking her husband’s surname did not make her any less of a modern woman: “I didn’t give it a second thought. I can take his surname while building a name for myself.”
(Left) Karla and Rhys Tejano enjoying their breakfast and (right) Kaeya enjoying her birthday cake | Photo: Karla Tejano
With both of them thriving in their careers—Karla leading her own insurance sales team and Rhys finding his footing in software development—the couple’s typical day mostly consists of them waking up together, leaving for work, and coming home to each other after a tiring day.
“I think our routine as a couple feels very natural. I like it that way,” Karla fondly disclosed.
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Appreciating her husband
As busy as her life may seem, Karla also prioritizes showing love and appreciation to her husband in ways she can.
Knowing that her husband’s language is physical touch and acts of service, she makes sure to make him feel loved by cooking him breakfast when she wakes up early and hugging him when she sees him tired from work, much like any traditional wife.
When asked why she chooses to do such things for her husband while seeing herself as a modern woman, Karla said it works both ways. Sometimes, Rhys cooks her dinner when he comes home earlier than her, and he is always there when Karla needs him to comfort her the most.
“We do things for each other without asking, and we’re always there to support one another,” Karla fondly mentioned.
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Rhys Tejano | Photo: Karla Tejano
Even a modern Cebuana like Karla believes that husbands should be appreciated from time to time. She has her way of making sure she expresses her appreciation to her husband. But, she believes that these techniques are not always applicable to every couple. Of course, it is within each couple’s journey that they find out what works for them.
As such, Karla believes that a modern woman can and must hold the opportunity to safely tread between thriving in her career and nurturing her life with her husband at her own will. That is by seeing him as someone who needs love and appreciation at least once in a while.
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