Ahh, Thanksgiving. A time of turkey, travel, tryptophan, and repeated viewings of "A Christmas Story" surrounded by family. If you're coupled up in a relationship, you boo is probably in the picture, too, and perhaps-awkwardly negotiating an overnight bedroom situation.
When I recently told my sister that I was going to start actively dating and really putting myself out there, her response was simple and to the point: "Well, at least you can get a free meal out of it." I had always thought people said this as a joke, but after a bit of investigating among my single girlfriends, quite a few of them actually admitted to dating solely for the free dinner.
Good-looking daters actually expect free meals?! Well... yeah. Pretty much, says a new study. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, researchers from the University of St. Andrews placed 245 men and 171 women in hypothetical dating scenarios. First, the subjects were asked to judge their own attractiveness—how pretty or handsome they imagined themselves to be. Then, the participants were shown 12 photos of potential dates, some beautiful and some unattractive, and were asked to decide who they would rather have pick up the tab if they went for dinner. Most subjects were totally fine with splitting the check, as 47 percent of men and 50 percent of women said they would prefer such a situation. However, of the men and women who thought themselves attractive, a trend emerged: they were more likely to want their dates to foot the bills instead of chipping in.
Okay, guys, I realize you may be getting a bit confused by now, with the “old” feminism and the “new” feminism. In the old school way of thinking, the man always paid the tab, whether it was the first date or the tenth date, right? Then came feminism. In that way of thinking, it might have offended a woman if you did things like open the door for her, let alone pay the tab.
I love eating dinner as a family, but helping my husband focus on family time can be a challenge. These are my tips for making dinner a true family experience.
My husband and I, and our two sons, ages 12 and 16, eat dinner together every night. As a family. At the table. TV, computers and texting not allowed. We talk, argue, laugh, and plan trivial and important stuff. We look one another directly in the eye and speak out loud, often in full sentences. When you sit across the table from your spouse every single night, and you ask about one another's day, and sometimes even put your hand in his, locking eyes and silently smiling over something your kid just said, that's a powerful message. We eat, there's love and, when Aunt Cathy visits, we even pray.
Why does dinner at your house resemble feeding time at the zoo? Why is it so difficult to get your kids and husband to all sit down at the same time and share a peaceful meal?
The classic Valentine's Day celebration is a romantic dinner, but that can be hard to pull off. If the idea of dinner just isn’t doing it for you but you still want to acknowledge the holiday, try out one of these alternatives.
Thanksgiving is sexy holiday, and Thanksgiving dinner, a sexy meal. Say what? That's right: what happens at the Thanksgiving table has been proven to get the blood flowing, and we're not talking about your blood pressure.
Times are tough and, these days, jobs are lost as regularly as kids lose their baby teeth. In a relationship, when one partner becomes unemployed, it can be a challenge to stay upbeat and supportive. One YourTango user came to us for advice on the matter. We asked the stars of our new series Still Life Love Advice to tell us: how do you save money and your relationship when your love gets laid off?
"V-Day." Sounds more like an invasion of Normandy than a day spent celebrating love and romance. And rightfully so. Sometimes the intricacies of preparing for the holiday resemble war-room strategy more than jubilation.For all us fighters out there, trying to stay strong against our own culture, I have some suggestions. Resistance is fine, but subversion is that much better. Don't cross your arms and insist on having a bad time just to spite everyone else. I don't want to overthrow V-Day. I want to reclaim it.
