The first rules that I learned when it comes to texting boys are as follows:

1. "Heyy (:" is always more flirtatious than "hey"

2. Always wait longer to respond than he did.

And 3. NEVER text him first.

Little did I know when I was beginning to text in middle school that rule number three would stick with me for life. It was with me when I had my first boyfriend at age 14, and all the way through my first real and serious relationship.

When it comes to flirting and the very first stages of getting to know the guy, I always expect for him to be the one to send the first text. Even when I'm in a serious and committed relationship, I don't text him first unless it's necessary given the circumstance.

Is it petty? Maybe. Is it unreasonable? I don't think so.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I've always loved when a guy makes the first move. I don't think that it's impossible for girls to make a move, but I find something incredibly romantic about a boy going out of his way to impress a girl first.

At the beginning of a relationship, I think that it's fair to say that most girls want a classic "Good morning, beautiful" or "Sweet dreams, gorgeous" text and they definitely expect the boy to send it first.

But why does it have to change? Even two years into a relationship, I still get butterflies in the morning when I have a cute text to wake up to. And that's how it should be. He should always text me first.

I don't ever want to get comfortable enough to where he stops going out of his way to impress me. Even if it's just the little things like sending a text for when I wake up and one before he goes to bed, I don't find it petty or unreasonable to expect it from him.

I never want my honeymoon phase of the relationship to end. I want every date to continue to feel like the first (minus the whole awkward part). I want him to continue to text me first just because he's thinking of me and just because he wants to flirt a little.