Online dating seems to have given most men a sense of false confidence when it comes to what they think they deserve from a woman. It’s not that some of you aren’t worthy of having amazing women in your lives, but you make us feel like we should never get too comfortable, because you could always trade us in for something better — and that’s some serious BS. Just because you have a catalog of eligible women to scroll through on a daily basis doesn’t mean you need to continue your rounds until you land on Beyonce. Stop letting the amazing ones go, because sooner or later, you’re going to find yourselves old, sad and alone, wishing you weren’t such a moron before.
1. GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE.
The Internet has made you believe you deserve a perfectly airbrushed housewife on your arm. She wears heels in the kitchen, has beautiful eyelashes without mascara and can juggle four babies all day while keeping a home in order all in time for you to come home to a perfectly cooked dinner with baked goods on the counter. Dudes, you’re living in a fantasy. Having the perfect portrait of a relationship is vastly different than the real deal, so stop fooling yourselves.
2. LEARN TO FOCUS ON ONE AT A TIME.
It’s getting really annoying as a woman to meet a guy we think we’re having a great time connecting with, only to find out that you’re trying to stick your penis in a handful of other women, as well. How about you start focusing on one at a time for a change? Online dating, and dating as an adult in general, isn’t an excuse to behave like a frat boy.
3. YOU’RE STUCK IN A CYCLE.
Realistically, it’s a pretty easy to see that dating with so many “options” leads you into getting caught in a constant cycle of revolving women. You date one and you think, “Well, she’s pretty rad” and you start to feel like you’re The Man, so you figure, “Hmm, I wonder how much better I can get?” So, you break our hearts and send us on our way. Letting a great woman go because your ego is inflated from getting our attention in the first place makes you a moron. Sorry, not sorry.
4. RELATIONSHIPS AREN’T PERFECT.
A lot of guys seem to run from the first sign of flaw. Heaven forbid a woman is anything less than perfectly poised and polished at all times. We’re humans, and we have imperfections just like everyone else. Instead of running from the first little thing that rubs you wrong, understand that if you ever want to have a relationship with anyone, you’re going to need to accept that everything good comes with its downsides, too. Just as you’ll want someone who accepts those hidden secrets about you, you’re going to need to be open to the same on your end.
5. GOOD WOMEN ARE RARE — DON’T BE AN IDIOT.
It’s baffling how so many men think that good women just come along so easily these days. If you’ve caught one that you really like, but you’re getting lost in an idea of “what if?” and decide to cut us loose, don’t be surprised if you’re eventually hit with immense regret because you messed up, bro.
6. YOU’RE NOT THE BACHELOR.
Life isn’t a reality TV series, and we’re pretty annoyed with being treated like contestants. If you really think you’re The Bachelor, then where are our dates on a yacht to a tropical island? Go big or go the home. Sit down and take your seat back in the little leagues.
7. IT’S NOT SETTLING WHEN YOU’VE FOUND SOMEONE AMAZING ALREADY.
Millennial men seem to be so terrified of settling down. Commitment has become the Ebola of being an adult in our dating culture — it’s heavily feared and avoided like a plague. If you’ve found someone amazing in your dating encounters, you need to hold on to that woman and pay us the attention we deserve. It could turn out to be something really amazing — the problem is, you’re not giving us a real chance.
8. YOU’RE RUINING IT FOR EVERYONE.
Dating in 2016 has become so excruciatingly exhausting, and the constant hopping from woman to woman is causing more women to be jaded and closed off when it comes to love. If you want to be a player, then by all means, do so (so we know to avoid you), but stop creating false hopes out of mini relationships when you live in a constant state of thinking someone better is just one swipe away. Most of the time, it’s not and you’re just wasting great opportunities while ruining good women along the way.
By Andrea Wesley for Bolde