Day 18: R is for Romance

People, this is real romance. Let's take a deeper look at each step.

#1. Going to the door when picking someone up. Whatever happened to the guy not only picking the girl up, but getting out of the car and knocking on the door? These days the boy sends the girl an "I'm here" text, or even honks to get her attention. Girls, you are not something to be summoned, you are someone to be cherished. 

#2. Dressing nicely for a date. Nicely, respectfully, classily, whatever word you want to use. Just dress in a way that shows your date that you care about them.

#3. Bringing flowers or other tokens of affection on the first date. Just today actually, I witnessed a boy nervously picking out a bouquet of roses, and my heart melted at the sight. Seriously, girls love flowers. There's something about them that's so special. Bringing flowers for your date is easy and inexpensive, but leaves a lasting impression.

#4. Going dancing that's not grinding on a grimy club floor. Don't you love watching old movies and seeing adorable couples waltzing or doing a jive together? And then you go to homecoming or prom and see modern day couples doing what they mistakenly believe to be dancing, and your heart just drops. There is nothing special, romantic, or even fun about grinding. Let's be a little more creative with our dance moves, shall we?

#5. Straightforwardly asking someone out. There's nothing more annoying than a guy vaguely telling a girl that they should "hang out sometime." If you really like a girl, you'll muster up the courage to actually ask her on a date.

#6. Being clear about when you're going steady. Let's be honest. Going on one date doesn't automatically mean you're boyfriend and girlfriend. Dating is just a way for two people to get to know one another in a deeper way, a way that says, "There could be something between us. Let's get to know each other better and then we'll decide." When you do decide that you should be a couple, it's time to have that serious but exciting DTR (defining the relationship) conversation.

#7. Romantic gestures like writing poems. I can't tell you how many times I've seen girls tweeting about wanting cute goodnight texts. Goodnight texts? Is that really all your heart is worth? What about phone calls, or even better, talking in person? Whatever happened to poems and love letters and songs?

#8. Turning electronics off and just being with one another. Is there any worse feeling than trying to talk to someone when they're looking at their phone instead of in your eyes, and you can just tell that they don't really care? Even more importantly, would you want your date to do this to you? 

#9. The general concept of asking permission for things. Even if you don't have any boundaries and are comfortable with everything, it doesn't mean your date will be. Be respectful of limits, and ask for permission before doing anything.

#10. This is the most important of all. Society will tell you that it's no big deal, that everyone is doing it, that you're weird and prudish if you haven't. But before you do anything that you might regret, think about your future spouse. They're out there, somewhere. Living, moving, breathing. Would they later thank you for the relationship you have right now? Or could it put a wall between you?

Let's go back to being old-fashioned, and let's bring back real romance.