“I ran with Laura today at Cross Country practice,” my son told me as we were heading home from school.
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” I replied back. “I know you’ve liked her for a long time! How’d it go?”
“Well, she’s usually in the top five, but she had a headache so she was running much slower. I stayed with her instead of going ahead. She had to stop a few times too. So, I stayed back with her and stopped when she stopped. I was okay with that.”
“I’m so glad you stayed with her and supported her when I’m sure you wanted to go faster. I bet she appreciated that.”
At first this everyday conversation about Cross Country practice and a girl my son has liked for years didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. But later that night, I found myself revisiting our talk, and I realized something.
THIS is how I want my son to treat any girl he likes.
In fact, THIS is how all men should treat women.
He’s young, and he doesn’t know what it’s like to be in a relationship with a girl yet, but this experience gives me hope that he will act the same way when he does.
The next morning, I decided to follow-up with him about this very thing, and it went something like this:
“Hey honey, you know how you ran with Laura the other day?”
“You know how you told me you went at her slow pace, instead of racing ahead to catch up with the others?”
“You know how you said you even stopped with her when she needed to rest, to pause, to catch her breath?”
That is exactly how you should be when you are in a relationship with any girl.
Always go at her pace. Even when you feel the urge to go faster.
When you are in any relationship, you must have self-control. Never pressure her because of your desires, but instead, walk alongside her and let her set the speed. She has the right to go slow and you must always respect that.
Always go at her pace. Honor her wishes and embrace who she is.
Be attentive to her needs and listen to her words. Get to really know her and celebrate the beautiful young woman that she is. Write her notes and buy her flowers and always make her feel special because every woman deserves that.
Always go at her pace. Don’t compare your relationship with anyone else’s.
It doesn’t matter what others are doing. What matters most is how you treat your girl. What happens between you two should stay private because it’s personal. Don’t share any intimate details with others, but prove yourself to be trustworthy.
Always go at her pace. In every relationship you’re in, understand that love is a marathon, not a race.
Spend quality time with her and be grateful for every moment you get to share together. Be patient and kind and know trust is built slowly. You’ll grow closer with every slow careful step.
Always go at her pace. Be a gentleman and earn her respect.
Hold her hand when you go places. Open doors for her and take her on dates. Look her in the eyes when you speak to her. Be the man who shows a girl that who she is, is much more important than how fast she goes.
Always go at her pace. A girl who goes slow is worth it and she deserves a guy who knows it.
She is wise to be careful and intentional with her steps. You’ll be smart to take them too. Because any relationship built on trust and true admiration will always win the race.
Always go at her pace. Because my son, that is what true men do.
This post was contributed by Christine Carter who writes at TheMomCafe.com, where she hopes to encourage mothers everywhere through her humor, inspiration, and faith. Her work is published on several various online publications as well. She is the author of “Help and Hope While You’re Healing: A woman’s guide toward wellness while recovering from injury, surgery, or illness.”
It’s tough when our teens start dating, need some more great advice?
What I Want My Teenage Son To Know About Dating Before He Starts
Leave a Comment