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September 21, 2007

The Rules of Engagement?

This just has to be said, and then I promise I'll let it go. For all you men out there that claim to love a woman, please pay attention. To those men out there that someday hope to have someone to share their lives with, please follow the bouncing ball as well.

When you make the decision to ask a woman to marry you, don't be a self-serving jackass about it. Allow me to make keep it simple for ya...

When you are prepared to "pop the question",

DO
make a big deal out of it. After all, you are asking another human being not only to share her life with you, but probably bear your children as well. This may seem easy and commonplace, but I can assure you, it is a strategically downplayed event. It is not easy to bear children, nor to spend the next 18 years sleep deprived. Yes, I know that you will lose as much sleep as your spouse (if you're really going to be a parent in the full sense of the word), but Mother's usually do all the hard work, as (single mother) statistics can verify.

DON'T
propose on a radio show, without a ring, and then publish the event on YouTube.
DO
tell your family and friends how in love you are, and how fortunate you feel to have been blessed with a unique love that you thought you would never be able to experience.
DON'T
send a campus wide e-mail JUSTIFYING why you changed your mind about marriage. If the woman you love is special enough to have moved a mountain (namely, you), no explanation is necessary.
DO
Talk to your future wife about how many children you hope to be blessed with and why. These are the conversations upon which many wonderful memories can be built.
DON'T
explain how you were cheated out of fatherhood, or why you feel you would make an excellent father via a public listserv. This action is an embarrassment to you, your future wife, and the campus community at large. Not everyone wants to be involved in the personal affairs of others; this is what friends are for.
DO
be romantic, caring, and excited about the next phase of your life.
DON'T
assume that 40,000 strangers have to be told about it. There are so many nice ways to spread the news!

Bottom line fellas: Live and let (others) live, without fear of checking their (syr.edu) e-mail account!

As an aside, is there any way to get you to stop littering our professional inboxes with unprofessional, self serving, exchanges and announcements? I can imagine that there are at least 39,950 folks that would probably appreciate it.

Posted by dvaldesd at September 21, 2007 02:39 PM

Comments

Amen, and amen.

Posted by: Tamika at September 21, 2007 04:44 PM