What happened to men? Men used to be tough, honorable, and role models. When I look out into the world now, it seems that I see fewer and fewer of those types of men. I no longer see men that I want to look up to, instead I see men that I do not want to become. The only true manly role models I look up to anymore are my Father and both of my Grandfathers. I try to emulate everything that I see from those great men. My Father and Grandfathers have taught me what it means to truly be a good man. They taught me how to have a good work ethic, how to own up for my mistakes and not pass the buck, and they also taught me how to treat women. I have watched my Dad treat my Mother with the highest amount of respect and show her the ultimate amount of love my entire life. My Father never really told me how I should treat the opposite gender, instead, he showed me. My Father lead by example and he did an awesome job.

I do not see men like my Father in the world of today. I see boys that are afraid to go to the door to pick their date. I see boys who only think of themselves and do not show others respect. The problem is that these boys look up to men that are not role models. They look up to celebrities and other people that truly should not be looked up to.

What was once the standard for what men should be is now the rarity, and that is really disappointing. A woman should not be amazed when a man holds the door open for her on a date. That should always happen. A man has a job, and that job is to make sure that whenever he is with someone, whether that person be male or female, that that person feels safe and respected. Ladies, if you do not feel safe or respected around a certain man, then run away. A man that does not treat women with respect or make her feel safe, is failing as a man.

A man should make sure that a woman is protected from physical, mental, and spiritual harm. Always. That should be the standard for men, but instead it is the exception. Women, you should not have to thank a man for treating you with respect or for making you feel safe, that should just happen. It should be a goal of every man.

I want men to come back. I want real men back. I want men that will treat everyone with respect. I want men that will protect the people that they care about from all kinds of harm. Too many men are concerned with what they want. Instead, they need to look at the others around them and determine what they can do to be of service to them.

Being a man is hard. A man must be a protector, a caretaker, a hard worker, respectful, strong minded, determined, motivated, etc. A man must be so many things. Being a man is a tough job, but if it was easy, everyone would do it. That is why there are so few good men left. We need more men to step up to the plate and not back down from the challenge of manhood. They need to not be afraid of the mountain they must climb to become the man they are meant to become.

Good men are few and far between now. If you are a woman, hold out for a good man and never settle for anything less. If you are a man, go and be a good man. Do not look up to men who are not role models. Do not be afraid of a challenge. Grow and become someone that others will look up to. Be a man.