Nowadays guys seem to have it all wrong when it comes to treating a woman like a lady. That five minute conversation that we had on the phone after meeting in the club on Thursday night does not grant you a ‘pass go and collect $200’ card. There’s a lot more that needs to be done before you can get to that point and honestly, we can’t believe how much of it has slipped away in every day courtship. In fact, what the heck happened to courtship? Let’s not even go there. Fellas, here is a refresher list of the top 10 ways to treat your woman like a lady. Please note: this is only for those of you trying to get your swag on Obama style.

1) Practice Chivalry

It may seem extremely old school and more like something your grandparents or parents did, but chivalry will take you far, gentlemen. A simple gesture like opening your lady’s car door or pulling out her chair before she takes a seat really shouldn’t be so taxing. There is definitely an innocence that has been lost in today’s dating game and we want it back.  So the next time you are out with a young lady saying “Let me get the door for you” or standing up as she rises from the table to freshen up just might get you to that second date.

2) Tell the Truth

It sounds easy, but for most people it’s the hardest thing to do. Fellas, no more lying to the ladies. We want to know that you respect us enough to tell the truth, be it good or bad. Fabricating a story or leaving huge gaps of details out so the dots cannot be connected is just not cool! After all, you should know that by the time you’ve finished your sentence and sat down on the couch we’ve actually figured out what the real deal is. Save us time and tell the truth.

3) Tell Us How You Feel

One of the sexiest things a man can do is tell us exactly how he feels. It’s important for us to know that you are not only physically in tune with us, but emotionally connected as well – that’s what a true lady wants. Unless you have a mutual agreement that what you have is ‘just one of those thangs’. Then we can understand why you might hold back. Otherwise open up and let us in! We want to know how you feel and we want to make you feel good too.

4) Spend Quality Time

“Spend some time with me, spend some time with me, spend some freaking (censored) quality time with me!” Martin Lawrence summed it up best in his stand up comedy routine You So Crazy back in 1994. This still rings true to infinity and beyond. A lady wants you to spend quality time with her. Time that can be shared with just the two of you and no one else – no homies, no colleagues just you. Plan a quiet evening in or take her to dinner and movie. Whatever you choose to do make sure she’s receiving your time, attention and affection. Besides your boys need a break, don’t they?

5) Your Word Is Your Bond

Let’s set this up so we can make this point abundantly clear: Don’t call at 5pm on a Friday night, ask what we’re doing, say that you want to hang out and you’re going to come over in an hour. An hour turns into several. In between all of this wait time, you’ve called maybe two or three times to either a) give some lame reason as to why you are running late or b) promise that you are going to show up knowing good and damn well you have no intentions to do so. Pay attention to the keyword fellas, INTENTIONS. If you know that you’re talking just to talk, please don’t. You can spare us the fluff. We want you to mean what you say and say what you mean. It will prevent a lot of unnecessary drama and make you out to be the good guy that you probably are, but we would never know because you haven’t kept your word.

6) We are who we are

You might find yourself wondering why your girlfriend or significant other seems adrift or why their attention is focused on other things or people. Sometimes this happens when a woman begins to feel like you’re trying to change her. It is extremely important for you to openly accept a lady for who she is. That means, if she gains or loses 10 lbs at any point in time during your courtship or if she bites her nails or pops her gum, you push all that to the side and take her for who she is. Though some of the things she does can potentially annoy you, you met her that way – it’s no use in crying over spilled milk so “take me as I am or have nothing at all” – MJB.

7) Wine Us & Dine Us

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that a lot guys either aren’t into the idea of romance or just simply don’t know how to properly ‘wine and dine’ a lady. Well here are a few easy things you can do to add romance into your life. Hold her hand as you walk down the street. Stroke her hair as you sit next to each other in a restaurant, compliment her. Plan a sweet, eventful evening that ends with roses and a bubble bath. Call her and tell her how much you miss her and can’t wait to see her later. Wining and dining doesn’t always have to involve money. It’s the idea of putting your lady on a pedestal for a day, or two or three, that’s key.

Make Her a Priority

Look, we are all busy. Ladies understand this most. Juggling everything from family to work to extracurricular activities it can be difficult to prioritize. Gentlemen, you must take the time out from your busy schedules to fit us in, and not with a pencil. Faking a sick day and convincing her to stay in with you, taking an extra vacation day or staying up longer can make your lady feel pretty special. She’ll realize that you’re making an effort to put her first and will find more appreciation in the time you share together. This could even result into prioritizing some of the extracurricular activities you haven’t had that much of lately – if you get our drift. 
 
9) Include Her with Family & Friends

Now, don’t try to get slick here and make us eat our words. Yes, we asked for quality time and we want it, but you can’t completely hang us out to dry once that time is over. It’s not that we want you to ourselves every waking moment, (ok maybe we do just a little bit) but we do want to truly feel like we are a part of your life. A real man shouldn’t have any qualms about bringing his lady around family and friends and a real lady wouldn’t allow her man to keep her a secret. So boys, stop pretending like what you two share isn’t that special and bring her home to meet momma and your best friend from high school.

10) Respect Her Opinion

And last, but most certainly not least – we can go on for days with this topic – respect your lady’s opinion. Whether you want to believe it or not, 9 times out of 10 we have the right answer and you don’t. Hey, it is what it is. If she has a suggestion about how you should handle something at work, listen. If she says she can fix the carburetor, let her fix it. And if she knows why you should get the LCD screen TV over the Plasma, then dammit, let her do the talking at Best Buy. It’s a pretty simple principle that in my opinion is the most over looked. This isn’t 1952. We have a right to vocally and intelligently express ourselves and its high time you all begin to appreciate and respect our opinions. After all, if you practice this point and perfect it, you and your lady may be the next leaders of the free world. Know what I mean?