Dating can be a wonderful experience. It can also send you spiraling into a black hole of confusion and altogether low self esteem. The main reason for the chaos is the simple fact that men and women think of dating differently and therefore misinterpret signals being passed on by the opposite sex. Well I’m here to help. I’ll try giving men some proper advice on what is and isn’t the right way to woo that special person you’ve had your eye on and in the end, hope that the gap between the dating scene of each gender will be mended.

First off let’s start by asking the age old question, “What do women want?” I can honestly say that not even women know what they truly want. We spend most of our time trying to figure out the male species that we never take the time to figure out ourselves. The best I can come up with is that women just don’t want to be alone, which probably explains why we always go to the bathroom in pairs.

Women will never admit to a problem that they are having. We don’t want to feel weak. We will keep going and going like the energizer bunny until someone pulls us to the side and asks us what’s wrong. And even then we probably won’t budge. Most of the time you guys just have to be patient till we crack, or beat it out of us, but not literally.

Women may like strong guys, but not pushy, overly jealous ones. We don’t like feeling like we’re being smothered. Don’t get to the point where she can’t even innocently talk to another guy without you going all G.I. Joe on him. Don’t be afraid to talk to her and let her know you’re on the same page.

This is another word men seem to flee from, communication. You will not be any less of a man by having a conversation with a girl. Women like a man who is able to speak to her with a slight intellect, but not so much that we can’t comprehend what you’re talking about. Keep it light and casual, but do keep it flowing.

Another communication problem that seems to occur in most men is how they first approach a woman. Some of these inappropriate phrases include, “What’s your names cutie?” and “How you doin mama?” or my personal favorite, “”Hey baby, come over here for a sec.” If you’re hitting on me, then why in the world would I come over to you? Try getting up from where you are, coming over to me, and starting up a normal, non-hey baby, conversation. Maybe if we see that we’re not communicating with a caveman, we’ll be more interested.

Now if you’re lucky enough to catch the girl’s eye, the hard part comes when you have to take her on a proper date. There are 3 main things that one must know in order to show that special person that you’re the real deal. First: Money. Men it is very important that you understand most women don’t care if you’re extremely rich or not. But please, if you ask someone out, be sure that you have enough money for the date. You asked us out so make sure you have the essentials. Second: Choose a place. We understand that you may actually care about our opinions but most women don’t want to be asked, “So, where do you want to go?” a few seconds into the date. We’re an indecisive species and don’t like being put on the spot. Third: Be yourself. I know it’s a very cliché thing to say but for the most part, it’s a true statement. Sooner or later we will catch on to who you really are if you put on a façade in the beginning. If a person doesn’t like who you really are, then don’t worry, because there’s bound to be someone out there who will.