i'm gonna change today's topic. today's topic is: making a woman feel special.

there are tons of books littering shelves around the country that talk about how to make a man feel special. likewise some of the best-selling items (right up there after the half-naked woman on the front) of magazines are articles about making your man feel like a million dollars.

where are all the articles about how to make a woman feel special? (not to mention how to please a woman in bed, but that's another topic.) why is this? do men care? or...do they think they already know?

i can tell you right now, most single men don't know. no clue. those that do of course have a larger potential for being creepy crawly slime. meaning using it to manipulate women. so coming across a single man who really is a good man and can still make a woman feel special is a rare and fun occurrance.

why women continue to date men who don't make them feel special is something i'm just beginning to ponder. i think we're used to the idea that men just don't have a clue about some things. but does that make it any better? not a good excuse. do men date women who aren't good in bed? hhmmm, i would say not. so why do we date men who don't know how to make us feel special? dunno.

it really sucks to have to choose between a decent guy who is honest but has no clue and a slick guy who makes you feel great about yourself. feeling sexy, beautiful and wanted after going out with a guy is just too good to pass up. the problem is as most of us single women know, it's rarely followed up the real thing.

in any case, perhaps the answer lies in trying to show the guy your dating what makes YOU feel special. since no one publishes a manual and making a woman feel great probably involves as many different factors as there are women, here are my favorite things my dates have done to make me feel like i'm special over the years. some of them over the last few days & weeks. in no particular order.

1. making me feel wanted
2. being startlingly honest yet charming at the same time
3. not making me guess about how he feels about me
4. knowing how to sidestep money discussions on a first date: i.e. paying for the bill by magic at dinner so i never even see it
5. keeping his word...and letting me know up front when he can't keep his word
6. not giving me dumb compliments (like "you're really beautiful") until i know he means it
7. ordering white wine for us when he likes red
8. adopting my favorite restaurants as his own
9. not fighting back when i get mad
10. buying me roses
11. saying he was wrong. saying he's sorry even if he's not wrong
12. choosing me over his mother

these are a few basics without being too specific but i suppose the common theme in them is forethought, respect, and accomodation to my preferences. all techniques used to get a girl, but not so often used to keep her...but that's yet another topic.