GENTLE men

After dropping Jessica off at kindergarten this morning, I was listening to my Natasha Bedingfield cd - the one my brother burned for me a while back. I was paying particular attention to the lyrics...something i don't always do...

Now it's nearly 7:30,
I'm slipping on a dress
I keep my fingers crossed, you're not like all the rest,
So when you come to pick me up come right to my door
Don't stay in your car and beep beep the horn

Baby I'm a hopeless romantic
You pick the sounds for the background to our drive into town
Baby don't be one of the traffic
Had too many nights with the wrong guys
Caught me at red lights

Tell me how many frogs do I have to kiss
Before I find my prince, before I find my prince
All you girls that are going through this
Tell 'em how it is, tell 'em how it is

Pull up to a premire, red carpet good
You take my coat, get my chair, like I hoped you would
You're funny and your flirting is really working for me
But where it goes from here
Better wait and see

Baby I'm a hopeless romantic
You pick the view to kiss to
Make me go ooo ooo...

As I listened to this song, my mind wandered to a time when a door was opened for me, by a wonderful gentleman. I wasn't used to this kind of treatment. It was uncomfortable, to be quite honest. I felt awkward, sitting there, as he walked around to open my door. At the same time, it was refreshing and thrilling. How nice....chivalry is NOT dead. I told him how I felt about car doors being opened for me. Since I hadn't really experienced it, I felt like I should be opening my own door. I didn't know how to "sit and take it like a lady." *smile* Then I realized...I haven't been TREATED like a lady in a long, long time. Wow, what a tragic realization. Every woman should be treated with respect by a good man...a GENTLE man. So many women put up with poor treatment, or at least LACK OF good treatment...men too, let's not forget them. If people were more old-fashioned, perhaps relationships would do a lot better. The women's movement has done a lot of good...but I also feel it's done a great deal of damage. Too many women working when they shouldn't be, too many women trying to be like men! Too many women are opening their own doors and paying for their own meals on dates. To me (a very old-fashioned person), that's messed up.

As I listened to this Frogs & Princes song by Natasha Bedingfield, my mind wandered to the idea of courting. I posted about this before. If people would court, rather than date casually...how much better the results would be! I think there would be much less heartache and confusion. Relationships between people should mean more than flings and "hanging out." Don't we marry who we date? So why would we date people we'd never, in a million years, marry? Just for fun? Me, I'd rather have that FUN with a man I could see spending the rest of my life with.
Gentlemen...are they rare? It seems like they are. Is chivalry dead? I think it is, to a lot of people. But it won't be dead for me! So....I change my mind. Yes, I would like my car door to be opened, please. It was wonderful. It was so unexpected. I do want to be treated like a lady for the rest of forever...

The song ended on my cd and we arrived home. I unbuckled the children from their carseats and James immediately hopped down from his spot and cut in front of McKenna. I stopped him....

"James, what is a gentleman?"
"A gennel-men iss NICE!"
"That's right, James! A gentleman is NICE. Ladies first, okay?"

James hopped back onto his seat and let McKenna pass. He was beaming, with pride. I am raising the next generation. I will raise a gentleman!