Dating and Mating

When I was in the dating world, if a guy had suggested we split the check I would have been appalled. If he had not opened my door for me, I would have thought he had been raised by wolves. I can't understand the standards for dating today.

In the dating world I grew up in, the guy was always the one that provided transportation, and would pick me up at my parent's house. He was expected to come into my house and converse with my parents until I was ready to go. When I entered the room, he would complement me and most often he would have some sort of gift for me, such as flowers or maybe chocolates. The guy always opened the car door for me and never walked ahead of me. If we went to dinner, he always paid. The guy always opened doors for me, helped me with my chair, and held my coat, if necessary. Afterwards, if we went to some sort of show or movie the guy always paid. Then at the end of the date, the guy would take me home and walk me to my door. This is not to say that dates don't ever happen like this anymore, but it is a little rare from what I hear.

People who date now are usually friends first and tend to know each other fairly well, at least on a superficial level. Simply hanging out with a girl and a group of friends, or going to a party with a girl could be considered a date. Because of the less formal attitude, most guys don't open doors, they don't wait for their date to enter a room first, they do not pick them up at their door, and they don't necessarily pay for their date's dinner or movie.

Is today's dating style preferred by women over a date in the 60's and 70's? There are some guys out there that do quite well in the dating arena and those guys typically use the more traditional attitude with their dates. They open doors and wait for their date to enter. They always pay for dinner and a movie. They treat their date with complete honor and respect and make her feel like a beautiful woman that they are proud to be seen with. These guys are not necessarily the best looking, or necessarily suave or debonair. They have become popular in their own right for the respect they give to women. Consequently, these guys are in demand in the dating arena. Is it any wonder?