By Gloria MacDonald

There are seven things that a man needs to do to pass womens’ dating “test”. If he doesn’t successfully complete these criteria he’s committed a dating sin.

Sin #4 – The sin of ungentlemanly conduct...

If the man doesn’t open doors for you, pull out your chair for you, and walk you to your car, he’s definitely not a gentleman, and your mother just wouldn’t approve.

There is a whole culture around The Date, with very strict etiquette. At least, there is as far as women are concerned.

Women tell us that many men seem to be blissfully unaware of what the rules of The Date are, and must be unceremoniously educated on the matter. Interviews with men indicate that this is in fact the case. Men do understand that there are some basic rules, but do not have the long laundry list of tests and criteria that women seem to carry.

Today’s modern women have designed an obstacle course for their suitors in order to test their worthiness. The test is given during The Date. One of the many things on this test is the man’s ability to show that he is an absolute gentleman by doing all of the chivalrous things that your mother always told you a real man should do. But there’s a problem with setting up The Date as an examination.

Here’s the problem. Men have a very different take on this whole dating thing. If a man is meeting a woman one-on-one for the first time, whether it’s through internet dating, speed dating, a dating service, or a set-up through friends, this is usually NOT a date in his mind. Most men do not look at this first meeting as a “date”. To the man, it is strictly a meeting. He doesn’t know you. He’s meeting you to see if he’s interested in asking you out on a date. Because this is just a meeting, he’s not in “date mode”, and is likely to fail the Prince Charming Test because of a misunderstanding. Since this isn’t a date, he’s not thinking about all of those romantic, chivalrous gestures like opening doors, pulling out chairs, and walking you to your car.

LAW OF THE JUNGLE: The Prince Charming Test is good for discovering whether the guy knows the rules of dating, but it is not a good way to discover a man’s true character.

Gloria MacDonald is a Matchmaker
and the founder and CEO of Perfect Partners®,
Le Personal Relationship Executive Search Firm,
a dating service for 40+ professionals.

Add this article to MoSexIndex