Date-iquette

My son is at his first Sadie Hawkins dance tonight. As he was getting ready, I asked him what the “rules” are. Lucky for him, he gave all of the right answers for what I expect for this type of date– ladies first, opening doors, compliment the girl, thank her, etc.

For some people the dating rulebook would be about physical contact- what and where not to touch. In my house those are the dating morals. The dating rules are different. The dating rules are about dating etiquette. I want my son to know how to properly treat a girl. I want him to be the boy that a girl goes out with and is impressed. Not by what restaurant he takes her to or what activity he has planned but by his behavior.

Are you wondering what the rules are? Here you go:

Mom’s Dating Rules (as they have been expressed to my son)

1- If a girl asks you to a girl’s choice dance –say yes. Unless you are dating someone else or have a conflict and can’t go to the dance. I don’t care if she is the bearded lady, has a mole on her cheek the size of the Titanic, and is Quasimodo’s sister. It takes a lot of courage for a teenage girl to ask a boy out. You never know, it may be the best date you ever go on. (This rule wasn’t an issue for him tonight. They have been friends for a long time.)

2- Don’t ask a girl on a date if you can’t drive yourself. The only exception is a double or group date and another guy is driving. (I brought this up when we were talking about the Homecoming dance a couple of months ago. I told him he couldn’t ask someone to the dance. Austin doesn’t have his license yet and I am not about to drive him and his date around. Beside’s if he is trying to impress a girl, having his mom chauffer you around is lame.)

3- Plan the date in advance. Don’t get there and get into the “What do you want to do?” conversation. BUT give her an option. For example: Los Hermanos or Chili’s, romantic comedy or horror flick.

4- When you are picking the girl up for your date:

•  Do not honk and wait for her to come out. Walk up and knock on the door like a real man.
• If her parents are there, introduce yourself. Let them know what your plans are and ask what time they would like their daughter home.

5- On your first date give her a simple bouquet of flowers. Nothing fancy or expensive. Friendly flowers.

6- Compliment the girl. She probably took some time to make sure she looks good. Acknowledge it.

7- Be a gentleman.

8- Get her home on time (a little early would be better)! If you run into traffic or something out of your control that will make her late, make sure she calls her parents to let them know she will be late and why.

9- Walk her to her door to make sure she gets inside safely.

10- Remember you are responsible for this girl while she is with you.

That’s it folks. They may seem a bit old-fashioned but I don’t care. Taking time to give a girl an enjoyable evening and treating her with respect should never be considered old-fashioned.

What do you think?

A little of this...a dash of that...

I've been feeling a little under the weather the past few days. I'm not sure what kind of weird bug I have but  I've been feeling toxic.  Head achy, sleepy, stomach not processing like it should, hot flashes, etc. Just down right icky.  I haven't worked for the past two days either. This says a lot about how I have been feeling considering I work from home and very little energy is needed to sit at my computer in my sweats to work.  Because of the icky toxic whatever it is I almost called my friend to tell her I wouldn't be going to our Tuesday night Zumba class.  I love Zumba and haven't been for the past few weeks.  The first week I was out of town and last week there was something going on with my son.  Anyway...I decided that maybe an hour of dancing around and sweating might actually make me feel better. 

Surprise! I feel better. Not miraculously better but better.  My nose is still running, still a little head achy, but not feeling quite so toxic and icky.  Hopefully, when I wake up in the morning I won't feel like I need to sleep for another 4 or 10 hours.

Next...A couple of weeks ago my sister and I went on a road-trip together.  It was great because she and I hadn't done something like this before.  She went to Portland for some pharmacy training and I went up to Washington to visit a friend.  This may sound a little strange but on my to-do list while in Washington was to visit Port Orchard and Debbie Macomber's - A Good Yarn Shop.  I love yarn.  I love to crochet and I love reading Debbie Macomber books so it felt right to visit her yarn shop.  The shop is in an adorable  building and while the inside was not quite what I had imagined, I truly enjoyed the selection of yarn.  I even bought a skein and a book for making slouchy beanies.  Macomber is a knitter so there were very few crochet books but I really enjoyed my visit to the shop. 

Speaking of crochet...instead of blogging or doing anything on the computer other than work, my fingers have been busy creating beanies, scarves, slippers, and even a sweater.  It is what I do when I am not doing what I have to do.  I will post some pictures just as soon as I can steal the camera away from my son.