Okay ladies, we’ve all been there. Your man isn’t stepping up to the gentlemanly plate. What do you do now? Nip it in the bud. If you don’t deal with these issues from the get-go, you will end up resenting your beau and the relationship will ultimately fail.
First things first, you must be vocal about your feelings. As with any relationship issue, communication is key. Tell him that his actions make you feel unappreciated and disrespected. Lay out what he does that you find rude and tell him how to fix it. If he has to choose between your relationship or holding open a door for you, hopefully he will change accordingly. Make him think about his actions before he lets the door hit you on the way out.
If your words go in one ear and out the other, you may need to try a more subtle approach. For example:
If you want your boyfriend to pick you up at the door, rather than honking the horn for you like some sort of taxicab service, when that horn starts blaring outside your home, simply ignore it. When he calls your cell phone, don’t answer it. That way, not only will he be forced to exit the car and cross your threshold to call for you, but he’ll also recognize the message you are trying to send him.
Or try talking about a friend’s relationship and how cute it is when her boyfriend holds the door for her or pulls out the chair so she can sit down. Holding another man in high regard will spark the alpha male complex, making him want to be better than another man.
Finally, make a date night that’s a marathon of romantic movies. Seeing you swoon over Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca or watching you tear up at the grand gestures Ryan Gosling makes for Rachel McAdams in The Notebook will show your beau the type of man you are longing for him to be.
By Deana Meccariello for Cupid’s Pulse
