It's The Little Things That Matter

There is a place we used to go from time to time on weekends to have a drink and watch a football or baseball game. It was fairly quiet and he could enjoy his cigar. While there we would frequently see another couple. When they arrived he would help her remove her coat and lay it across the back of a chair. Then he would pull out a chair so she could sit before going to get their drinks. After enjoying their beverages and each other's company for a while the routine would be reversed, and he would pull out her chair and then hold her coat so she could put it back on.

I would observe this gentle dance between them each time and it would bring a smile to my face. Finally my boyfriend asked what I was smiling about, and I told him that this gentleman had it figured out. He wondered what I meant so I let him know that this man realized that these small things would go much further than some grand gesture.

It seems that men are always trying to figure out what women want or what they need to do for them. It's simple - treat them like a lady. I have always said that if you do the small kind gestures every day a woman will be with you for a lifetime. As young men are growing up they should be taught these things; the things that show respect:

• Open and hold the door for her to enter ahead of you.
• Pull out a chair for her to sit.
• Hold her coat so she can put it on or take it off.
• Stand when a woman gets up to leave the table.
• Take her arm when crossing the street.
• Open the car door for her.
• Tell her she looks nice.
• Compliment her on a meal she has prepared.
• Help her carry in shopping bags.

These are some basics. Women should expect to be treated this way, and allow the men in their lives to treat them like a lady. It makes them feel important in your life, and also deepens intimacy. Of course, it goes without saying, a woman needs to treat the man in their life with the same respect.

I may be a bit old fashioned, or nostalgic, but I believe if men do these little things each day for the women in their life, the rewards will be worth it. In the end you both win.