Offer to put them to bed a couple nights a week or run them to their extracurricular activities. She could probably use the help.
If candlelight and soft music used to get her in a romantic mood but you haven’t used either of them in years, get back to romancing her. She’ll appreciate the effort and respond in kind.
Sure, you should be able to get in a little overtime at work or go for a three-day golf weekend with the guys without being hassled about it, but it’s better for everyone involved if you coordinate your schedule with hers instead of assuming that she will just handle the house, the kids, and whatever else is coming the family’s way while you’re out having a good time.
Don’t wait for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays to shower her with the things she loves. A simple bouquet of flowers or a pack of her favorite candy is a kind gesture that will show her you were thinking about her.
You can be happy or you can be right.
Of course, your mother taught you that she’s always right. The woman you sleep with at night must feel like you’ve got her back, no matter who she’s going up against. She’ll give you that same support, too.
Glossary of Steve’s Terms
WHAT DRIVES MEN:
Who they are (title), what they do (job, career), and what they make.
THE THREE PS:
The three distinct ways men show their love to their mates-by providing, professing (telling a woman and everyone she knows that she is his girlfriend/lady/wife), and protecting.
THE COOKIE:
Sex.
THE THREE THINGS EVERY MAN NEEDS:
Support, loyalty, and the cookie.
THE NINETY-DAY RULE:
A probationary period in which a woman forgos having sex with a man until she figures out whether he’s really into her and what his intentions are for the relationship.
WE HAVE TO TALK:
The four scariest words a man will ever hear.
FIX-IT MODE:
When men forgo talking, pondering, and mulling over a problem and instead figure out what the problem is and do what it takes to make the problem go away with as little drama as possible.
THROWBACK:
A party girl who has no rules, requirements, or respect for herself and doesn’t make any demands on prospective suitors, or a woman who is clueless about how to deal with men.
SPORT FISHING:
When a man dates a woman knowing that he has no intention of making any long-term commitments with her.
KEEPERS:
Women who have standards and requirements for their relationships, carry themselves with respect, and demand potential suitors treat them with respect.
STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS:
The expectations women have and the rules they set for potential mates interested in dating them.
THE FIVE QUESTIONS:
Queries every woman should ask a man to determine what he wants out of his life and his relationship with her. They ultimately help women determine right away what values a man has and how she fits into his plans. The questions include: What are your short-term goals? What are your long-term goals? What are your views on relationships? What do you think about me? and How do you feel about me?
Acknowledgments
I would like to pay a debt of gratitude to some amazingly helpful people. My editor and publisher, Dawn Davis, somehow believed I could write a book in the first place… and then backed up that belief with a work ethic I’ve seen only a few times in my life. Jill Jamison, a new hire with invaluable insight, sat in every single writing session to help form my focus group. A special thanks to Shirley Strawberry, who, with her inquisitive nature and relentless questioning, pushed me to dig deeper and deeper, to be more thorough for my female readers; she was also there for all the read-throughs, even reading all the drafts out loud to me and refusing to let me nod off in the final rereads.
This book also does not exist without the millions of readers who bought my first book,
My business partner and best friend, Rushion McDonald, works behind the scenes, but his work ethic, savvy, and promotional skills have aided in not only my publishing endeavors, but also in the many hard-fought battles he and I have engaged in over the past twenty years. Nothing we’ve done has been easy, but it’s all been so rewarding. Thank you, my friend.
And to Denene Millner, who has typed, edited, and laughed through this entire project, helping me to put my unique thought processes and even more unique speech patterns into readable prose: Thank you for your guidance, questions, and devotion to this project. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
To my family, who are too many to mention, Thank you. I love all of my kids.
And now for my favorite part: My wife, Marjorie… I can’t put on this page what she means to me. I’ve evolved into the person I am over the last five years because of this wonderful gift that was given to me named Marjorie. She proves God really does know what we need more than we do. In all my life and in all my imagination I never knew this could exist for me. She allows me to be better; she encourages me to be better; and here’s the kicker: she expects me to be better. And on top of all that she appreciates it when I am. And that causes me to walk through walls and any hellfire for her. I have a few hundred things I could say about her but I will save that for another book. It’s because of Marjorie that I’m able to share with you so much of my own journey. She is “the bomb.” I love my girl, Marjorie.
WITHOUT GOD, I WOULD BE LOST. YOUR DIRECTIONS HAVE BEEN FLAWLESS. YOU HAVE TAKEN ME PLACES FAR BEYOND MY DREAMS. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME MORE THAN HOPE. YOU HAVE SURPASSED ALL MY EXPECTATIONS AND AT THE SAME TIME OPENED MY MIND TO RECEIVE EVEN MORE INSPIRATION. I DONT
