So you guys want to know what us women want from you in order for us to keep you around? It’s nothing complex, trust me. All it takes is a little common sense and some insight on our needs and expectations. Obviously the whole question of matter can be measured from both the male and female aspects..but myself being a lady, I’ll deal with female issues only. So lets get started!

The first lesson you must learn when playing the whole relationship game is that most women are vulnerable to criticism. Pay extra care to what you say to us...don’t think we only hear what we want to hear - because we hear all the stuff in between too, and may be mislead from its intended meaning. Most girls will read between the lines and analyze every little thing you say. If we detect any abnormalities in what you said, most times we’ll be sure to let you know plain and clear. Yes, I do admit that sometimes we may overreact - well all do at times- but I’m just emphasizing that you can avoid disaster easily just by thinking first, then doing the talking.

The next one is quite simple - Just learn to listen to us! Don’t just sit there flicking through to see what’s on TV and nod your head "Yah" while we’re talking to you - listen to what we have to say! And by definition, listening is actually hearing as well as understanding what we said. Communication is a very important factor in a relationship - and that means that both sexes must do their part to listen to one another and give appropriate feedback. Which brings me to the topic of responding once you’ve heard what we have had to say. If we tell you about our whole day’s events, and you just reply with a simple "Oh I see", then our first impression is that you have a total lack of interest in what we say, and that you just don’t care to listen to us. Big mistake. Doing this persistently will only damage the way we perceive the communication in our relationship, and most likely cause us to reply back to you in quite the same manner.

Be yourself. I can’t stress this enough. Guys, don’t try to be something that you’re not! If we’re going to be with you we want to know the real you - not some false representation that you put on just to impress us. Even if it means telling us you have an insane obsession with pantyhose or you regularly shave your pits- either way just let us know! We want to know you inside out...and even if you have a freakishly abnormal feature, don’t worry - cause we will look past all that if we really do care about you.

Finally, be considerate of our feelings and emotions. Some females tend to become a little fragile in the emotional department, whether we like to admit it or not. So just do us a huge favour and do your best to take in account our feelings - not only yours. Don’t lead us on if you have some problems you don’t wish to discuss- try to be straight with us - we’d rather hear it from you then get hurt when we discover it elsewhere, no matter what the consequences may be. Don’t be fooled when we say "Oh, nothing’s wrong" - most times its not true. Approach us in a different manner - Instead of asking us what’s wrong, try saying "You know, you can always tell me if something’s wrong". In most circumstances, if you are genuinely sincere, we will tell you the problem straight up. Be patient with us. This means no pressuring and learning to accept us the way we are. And don’t take us for granted - sure there’s many other fish in the sea ..but no two fish are alike. So if you really care about us, let us know - no beating around the bush!

I guess the best advice I can give you is to put yourself in our shoes - be in touch with how things must feel for us in certain situations. Of course, nobody’s perfect, and we certainly realize that. But we do want you to try at least your best to understand us. After all, understanding us is the best way towards making us happy. And when in doubt, just remember that we’re only human - we feel as much as you do - and we sometimes hurt as much as you do. So please, be gentle!

~J~