Act like a lady...

I've recently read the book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey.  It was worth a giggle and pretty true on a lot of things. It was interesting to read about how we, as women, are perceived by men and I do think that a book written to counter this would be a best seller. Act like a man, think like a lady??

I'm not going to get into the whole book, suffice to say that if you haven't read it and are in a relationship, go read it.  Read it with your partner and have a giggle.  This morning, Jake proved to me in the smallest way possible that the book is true in at least one respect - men like to keep their ladies happy.  If they really love you, they'll go to the ends of the earth to do what makes you feel special.  Men are problem solvers - when we tell them something, they will do their best to find a solution to our problem.  Let me share...

With me jogging in the mornings (I'm up to about 50% walking, 50% running for about 45 minutes - not bad for a non-athletics type girl that I am), things are pretty rushed in the mornings in our home.  The alarm goes off at 6:00, I fly out of bed, make the bed, get dressed and get Jake up and dressed.  I drop Jake off with my folks for breakfast at about 6:20 and my running partner & I are on the road by 6:30.  45 minutes later, we're back at her house and stretching.  I pick Jake up at about 7:20, rush home to get him dressed and myself showered, hair washed and dressed.  I usually manage to drop Jake at school by about 7:45, 10 minutes before the bell rings.  This morning, I was in the shower rushing like mad to get ready and Jake was getting dressed in the bathroom, chatting to me in the shower.  We're pretty open like that in our house and I've never felt the need to hide my imperfect body from my own child.  At least when he starts looking for a wife of his own one day, he will know to expect fat rolls and cellulite.  This morning, I was warm after my run and hopped into a lukewarm shower, that I cooled down further as I got used to the water.  I commented that I was so hot I needed the cold shower to cool my body down, which Jake thought was very funny.  I also said that we were in such a rush to get ready for school today that I hadn't even stopped to have a glass of water yet and was thirsty.  By the time I got out the shower, my woman pleaser was standing in the bathroom, with a tall glass of ice cold water in hand and a wide smile across his face.

To the guys out there, take note.  It's not the fancy dinners and expensive gifts that do it for us girls.  Sure, they're nice (OK, very, very nice), but it's the little things that truly melt us; the things we don't ask for that mean so much.  The gentle touch when we don't expect it, the cuddle during a movie on TV, the phone call to make sure we got home safely, the late night conversations when neither of you can sleep, the hug we need in a moment of sadness, a bunch of hand-picked flowers, unpacking the dishwasher (in my case packing it, since I don't know how to do it properly) and fetching us a glass of cold water when we're thirsty. 

And to the girls, sometimes, it just drives us nuts when we don't want a solution, rather a kind listening ear, but our men are wired differently and, truthfully, most of the time we love it.  We love them, so just enjoy letting them be men.  Enjoy the spoiling in whatever form it comes.  I am a very spoilt girl to have two very special guys looking out for and spoiling me on a daily basis. I love being able to see Jake expressing some of this sensitivity already.  Hopefully it's something that he will carry on into his adult life and will grow to be a warm, responsive husband one day.  I just hope he finds a girl who appreciates it as much as I do (or else!!).

Sue X