Louisiana Woman Wants to Know if Chivalry is Dead?
Is chivalry dead? Are the days of common courtesy over? A single mother from Louisiana wants to ensure she teaches her son the art of being a gentleman.
Chivalry is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as 'very polite, honest, and kind behavior, especially by men toward women.'
So now that we've defined what chivalry is, here's why we're talking about it. My friend Susan was perplexed recently by what she sees as a lack of chivalry or gentlemanly behavior in men. As a single mother, she works very hard to instill respect for women in her son. She teaches him to open doors, to say 'Please,' 'Thank you,' and 'You're welcome,' as well as 'Yes, ma'am/sir' and 'No, ma'am/sir.' Of course, there's more to it than that, but at that point, I asked her to come up with a list of things that she felt that men should do on a regular basis to show their 'chivalry' and this is what she sent.
1. Open car doors
2. Message or call first
3. Pay for the first date unless she's super independent
4. On a first date, go somewhere you can actually talk and get to know each other
5. Hold her hand in public
6. Don't take her around your 'boys' early in the relationship
7. Send flowers
8. Keep it to one drink on a first date
9. Keep the cussing to a minimum
10. Be a good listener
While I'm not sure I agree with all of those, I personally think it all boils down to this. Are you showing the people around you respect and that their wants and needs are a priority to you? If not, maybe you should rethink your behavior, man or woman. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Send me a 'chat' message through our free app or shoot me an email at erin.bristol@townsquaremedia.com.