To My Future Son,
Your father will teach you many life lessons, as most fathers should. However, as your mother, I have a few of my own to teach you. These lessons are meant to make you a better man for both your sake, and for all those who you come across.
I have encountered many men in my years: the kind, the cruel and the oblivious. They have left pleasant memories, painful scars, life lessons and some of them are just good laughs. It is because of these men that I need you to understand how to treat women.
Whether you are 14 years old and on a playground or 24 years old and at work, never speak of another woman and your experiences with her without her consent. She may have told you a secret that only few close to her heart know, or she may have shared an intimate moment with you, and she may have even told you she loved you for the first time. Regardless of what it may be, keep her secrets. No matter if it is in a locker room or a board room, do not betray the trust a woman puts in you. If you do, it can leave emotional marks on her soul for years to come and if enough men betray her, she may even lose all trust towards anyone. Be the man that shows a woman that she is worth keeping his mouth shut for her, regardless of how many times his friends ask him how good she is in bed.
Do not hit her. I am not talking only about with your hands. As a man, the things you say can and will affect women, just as a woman's words can affect you. Even the girl you love will make mistakes, as we humans are known to often do. Be kind and forgiving. The world is becoming so harsh and callous—a place where being kind is looked upon as weak. Be strong-minded, but speak only words of encouragement and support. If you cannot do either of these things while addressing a woman, then walk away. I have found that the emotional damage of cruel words oftentimes stay longer than any physical scar ever could. But when spoken to with words of affirmation and love, a woman will blossom right before your eyes.
Lastly, never have several women romantically involved in your life. I am not referring to dating. Dating around is fine. However, never have two women competing for your adoration. Everyone is worth having someone that only adores them and sees them for how amazing they truly are. But sometimes there will be women who have never had anyone tell them how valuable and priceless they really are. Never string girls along allowing them to think that you have legitimate feelings for them when in actuality you do not. While the honesty of not returning the feelings that they have for you may sting, they will thank you for it later. As a woman, I know that being left by a man for another woman causes feelings of worthlessness. Be the man that makes a woman see that she is worth being the only one you have eyes for, instead of being the man who surrounds himself with women competing for his love.
Knowing how to treat others is key to leading a successful and fulfilling life. Oftentimes the opposite gender seems like a mystery and feelings get hurt only because one does not know how to treat the other. Now that you are aware, be an example for those who do not understand the impact a man and his words can have on a woman.
