How Many Wives Do You Have?

I would like to make clear that this post is in no way an attack on the Muslim religion.  Though I have not done research as extensive as I intend to do, from what I do know the faith is built on peace and one that I respect wholeheartedly.  The post is merely a critique of a small aspect of the religion and culture here that I find...amusing.  I mean no offense or disrespect. 

"You be my American wife."   For the number of people here claiming to not speak English, you'd be surprise how many people have learned this phrase.  That and "I love you."  Who? Me? I look around at who else they could possibly be talking to but I'm left to presume I've caught another one at first sight.  I must be good because..you don't even know my name.  All jokes aside though, I have gotten quite a few marriage proposals, phone numbers, and offers to "teach me french" in the past two weeks.  As some of you may know, my future career goal lies in the field of marriage and relationship therapy so this whole concept of love, relationships and marriage is really quite fascinating.  For one, lets start with the idea of me becoming someone's American wife (Don't worry Dad, this is all VERY hypothetical). Now if that were to happen, that leaves me wondering, how many other wives do you have?? Senegalese? Italian? Puerto Rican? Interested in the idea I started asking questions.  I do have some background knowledge in the polygmous nature of the culture, mostly rationalized by religion, but just to get an unbiased explanation, I played dumb.  In his best english possible, a man in the family I live with exposed the truth

"Man and wife are not same because it is the wife who make baby and the wife that cooks and if wife gets pregnant we can only have sex for up to the six months.  So..in those 3 months, I need another wife." 

I died laughing.  So what your saying is, the wife, who must not only cook and clean but carry YOUR child for a 9 month term and then birth YOUR child by pushing (quite painfully) YOUR child through her vagina must endure 3 sexless months while you satisfy your sexual desires by...getting another wife..WHAT?!  Not only that but as the Qur'an allows for 4 wives, it then becomes this ongoing merry-go around of circulating wives depending on who is and who is not pregrant.  Peaking my curiousity I ask more questions about just how these living arrangments work, only to find out that once I've been shafted for another woman during my last trimester of pregnancy, I must then live with her in the same home!  Thats right ladies and gentleman, the one husband with all four of his wives lives together in one home.  Sound like a cat fight waiting to happen if you ask me.  Now I petition for a reversal of roles.  I personally think it would be quite fair if instead we had one woman in charge who had the choice of which of her four men she wanted to play husband with for the day.  The others would be left behind to clean, cook and try to do whatever possible to up their chances of being the lucky pick next.  Even in my fantasy world this sound crazy.

What is love? What is the point of marriage? What is the strength in a family if it is not one unified unit?? 

Now I know I said there is a lesson in everything but I'm still searching for the meaning behind this one....