…the way forward…

So I’m watching The Early Show this morning because I was at the dentist office. In reality, that’s the only reason I’ve ever seen the early show because I’m a Sportscenter type of girl.

One of the questions of the day was whether or not a woman should ask a guy out or pay for dinner on the first dates. The interview a few people on the street and the results are varied. Some women say definitely ask a guy out, some say no, that it takes away from the tradition of courtship. Personally, I don’t think it matters at all.

They brought on a “matchmaker” who adamantly stated, “absolutely not!” That women asking a man out and paying for dinner during the first few dates (i.e. before you guys become a couple) emasculates the man. Which to a certain degree, I can understand her point.

Of course, if I had never asked J to just go to Friday’s for drinks to just hang out he would’ve continued to think I didn’t like him. Apparently, I’m not as good at flirting as I think I am, and even with us sharing a lot of friends, I was not about to go the route of telling a mutual friend that I liked him and hoping they’d “drop the hint.”  He did pick up the check that night, which in a sense, led me to believe that he was interested. I guess he was because he asked me out again two nights later.

In the past, if I had a date with a guy that I wasn’t really into, I would pick up the check. Maybe that’s wrong, but it was a “thank you, please go away” gesture. That way when I told him I didn’t want to see him again, he didn’t feel like I owed him something.

But this matchmaker, kept insisting that women should not even ask men out. Which made me realize why perhaps she was still single and there are so many “unhappy” singles out there.  Asking a guy out doesn’t mean a woman has to pay for dinner, though its always nice to come with your own funds because you don’t know if the guy is going to be a crazy a**hole, “forget” his wallet, or anything else.

Oddly enough, the matchmaker herself was single. Probably because she’s still waiting on that guy she’s had her eye on for eternity to ask her out.