Romantic things to do for your boyfriend.

I've decided that my first foray into the world of "professional blogging" would be to reply to a request (aptly posted by a user by the name of Simpleton).

I'm not going to lie, I have absolutely "google-searched" (if it isn't already a term, it will soon be) keywords such as "gift idea" or "date idea" and "does it make me a terrible girlfriend that I must resort to google for these issues?" So this is by no means a jab at Simpleton's inexperience navigating the hundreds of thousands of posts that already exist bearing this title. I'm just responding to demand. Call it a business maneuver.

So let's refer back to the request. She (I'm just guessing!) asks for help concocting romantic things to do for her boyfriend. Because I do not know Simpleton, it's difficult for me to gauge whether her boyfriend is of the "gun toting NRA card carrying" variety or if he's the next John Mayer. For all I know this boyfriend of hers would be blown away by a home-made coupon promising to leave him and his "gaming cohorts" alone for 24 hours so that they can complete the next level of some online game involving dragons and ninja fairies. In all seriousness, take a good look at yourself: if you even suspect you fit into that category of "Slightly Overbearing Girlfriend" this may be just the romantic gesture for you. It doesn't sound like much, but you know what they say, Less is More.

We must also keep in mind that women like receiving gifts (call yourself a feminist if you'd like). No woman can say she doesn't appreciate some well timed flowers, chocolates or the ever popular jewelry. It's essentially a guaranteed romp in the hay for the giver. Men like gifts too. Hell, I bet they'd even appreciate being surprised by a random thoughtful gift that comes out of left field (for those of you dating sports fans, getting a pair of tickets to his favorite team's home game is always a good bet). Quality time together, doing something for him and I'd be willing to bet that you'd look pretty amazing on the girlfriend scale sitting next to him, cheering on his team in between mouthfuls of a foot long hotdog. Just trust me on this one.

My own situation can serve as example. I'm currently dating a soft romantic with a rather rough shell. Let's call him an M&M. So my delightfully sweet treat with his slightly hard, candy-coated exterior baffled me at first. I constantly found myself asking myself if it was too much of one side of his personality. Then I discovered something: I can get him the practical things that appeal to his "masculine side" and package them (ie a thoughtful home-made card or in a package with a batch of fresh cookies)... a little Suzie Homemaker? Perhaps... but it was dead on.

My last point for today will be a quick review of the old adage "The key to a man's heart is through his stomach." I would like to tweak it slightly. I have found that a big turn on (at least for my modern day traditionalist) is care giving/pampering. This may leave a sour taste in the psyches of some uber feminist types, but I say let those women spend their time proving they care by attempting to fix his car under the sweltering heat of the sun in hopes to maintain their outward appearance of the modern day feminist. I'd rather say "I love you" with a nice home-cooked meal, a night of pampering (men like being pampered too! Think massage...) or a movie night with all his favorite zombie beheading thrillers or war movies he never knew he wanted to see.