Valentine's Day is for Love
By Dr. Erica Goodstone. Posted on .
Valentine's Day is all about love. On this one day, we focus on love and romance above all else. But it has become another vehicle for big business to push their products upon us. Beautiful roses or an assortment of seasonal flowers are often a high priority. However, no matter how beautiful, flowers don't last - unless we buy silk flowers. We are encouraged to buy chocolates, even though so many of us are attempting to diet and lose those extra pounds to look our best. We are also invited to buy stuffed animals, especially adorable teddy bears. But how many stuffed animals can one person display in their bedroom or living room? Or perhaps, we decide to purchase the real thing, an adorable puppy or kitten. And of course, the jewelry industry insists that Valentine's Day is the ideal time to buy your loved one that special necklace, watch or engagement ring.
Yes, all that delicious chocolate, fragrant flowers, soft cuddly animals (real and unreal), and stunny jewelry can certainly make us smile. Add to that a night on the town, full course dinner, a show or concert, and perhaps a final stop for after dinner or apres theatre drinks. Who wouldn't enjoy all that attention, food and activity? The fact is that many of us do not really crave these superficial or commercial displays of love and romance.
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What do women want? Yes, many women want to be wined and dined and showered with gifts and precious jewelry. Some want to be swept away on exotic vacations. But when we get right down to it, all of that hullabaloo doesn't matter at all if we don't feel the love. If we are not attracted to our partner, if we do not feel loved and supported and cherished by our partner, then all that outward display is just that - display. What do most women really want? They want to feel loved, appreciated, acknowledged, supported and feminine. Women want to feel sexy and sexual, romantic and beautiful, intelligent, interesting and fun. Women want to laugh and cry and enjoy the moments together with their partner. Some women are looking to find a man who will be a good father for their unborn children or for the children they are raising alone. Such women are not looking for valentine gifts, per se, but they are seeking qualities that reveal a man's loving potential. Women want love.
What do men want? Yes, many men want to spend the night out on the town with their women, flaunting her beauty and her other assets for the world to see. Many men want to shower their love with material gifts, sometimes with an ulterior motive to get her into bed. Some men refuse to buy what they consider commercial and silly cards and flowers, but they often refuse to do other things that might please the women in their life. Men want a woman to listen to him, acknowledge and appreciate him, love him the way he is, encourage him to succeed at whatever he dreams about, and to suffer silently when he falls short of her desires. Men want love.
