We still have slept together,

Rose at an instant, learn’d, play’d, eat together,

And wheresoe’er we went, like Juno’s swans,

Still we were coupled and inseparable.

— Shakespeare, As You Like It, 1, 3

ANY woman who gets a man like that, gets a prize, a man among men, a giant, the pick of the litter, the alpha male, and not only el hombre grande, but grande hombre, as the Spanish say.

Yes indeed, that man is a sure catch, and is most sought-after by women. Just check out that quote again, especially the first line. Imagine, after sleeping together, they eat, learn and pray together, plus remain coupled and inseparable. Even the choice of the swan is perfect, for swans are among the few creatures that mate for life. Yup, swans are monogamous and if one dies, the other mate will remain alone until it dies.

You may have heard of the swan song, which is the only time that a swan will make any vocal sounds, when it’s dying. Swans live their entire lives in mute silence until those last few moments when they take their last breath. Swans are so romantic. But this is not about swans, but about men, and especially those who are more than amenable to women. Maybe they are as romantic as swans.

Most men are cursed royally by women, who forever sing that they cannot find or keep a good man, the right man. Well, ladies, these men do exist. There are men who do all the right things and say all the right words that women seem to love. Men who may not have a white steed or a suit of armour, but are still like princes to women. They are women-friendly men, and they do exist, as we’ll find out right after these responses.

Hey Tony,

Another great article. The ‘Man rules’ seem like a great idea, but as you and I really know, it is just plain fantasy and can never be implemented, as only one set of rules can exist in any household: women rules. My wife and I used to watch baseball together as she was a fan of the local team. She also used to watch golf on Sundays when Tiger Woods was playing, but that was before Tiger Woods broke the woman rules.

To paraphrase James Brown: It’s a man’s world, but it would be nothing without a woman… and her rules.

Wickham

Toronto, Canada

Teerob,

I must admit that I had a knee-jerk response to the title of your article ‘Man rules’, but after reading it I realised what you were trying to get at. Yes, men do need to have their own set of rules to equate with the many rules that women are always dictating to them. Dictate is so close to dictator. Listen man, I can talk, for after 20 years of marriage, if I didn’t have my man rules, I’d be wearing an apron and dusting the house every Saturday. I will dust, but I refuse to wear an apron.

I say hooray for man rules, brother, and long live the men who can stick to them.

Kirk

So after explaining what husband-friendly women were, it was bound to happen, ordained, set by decree that wife-friendly men had to be presented in like fashion. And who better to supply me with information but a woman.

This lady from Britain went to great lengths to send me an article from The Huffington Post that described what type of men make great husbands. In other words, women-friendly men who inevitably morph into wife-friendly men. He has to be woman-friendly first before he becomes wife-friendly, of course, for he has to get past all the scrutiny of the woman before she will be his wife.

But these men are around, as The Huffington Post said, plus other women I spoke to told me exactly what type of men make great husbands. These men are not only loved, but they are liked, respected, adored and almost worshipped by their wives, making them the envy of other women who wished that they had a man like that. “Is how come she so lucky to get a man like that? Him just do and say all the right things, but him still not wishy-washy.”

Top of the list of what makes a man woman-friendly is his ability to provide. Yes, he must be a provider. Now, this may not be big news, for we all know that women like it when men can take care of them. But the provider takes it to another level.

He just doesn’t simply dole out cash like he’s an ATM, but actually cares about what he’s doing for his woman. He knows how to please his woman, and gives not only for reward, but because he actually loves to give and will go out of his way to see to her needs.

He’ll have two full-time jobs, plus a slew of hustlings on the side, in order to provide for the woman he loves. He is devoted to his woman and will do almost anything and everything cheerfully in order to make her happy. He is totally selfless and has no reservations about spoiling his lady. Still, he does so with style and grace, and is by no means a sugar daddy or ‘boops’. There is a distinction, as the provider gives for the sake of giving and not to purchase favours. Observe how he treats his mother, for it’s the same way he’ll treat his woman.

Women love strong men, for we all know how frail, fragile and delicate women can be. Even as they cry, they love it when strong men can bolster them, allay their fears and make them feel secure. A strong man is like a rock. He is always there when his woman needs him, and no matter how busy he is, he’ll always find the time to talk to her and give her solace and provide comforting words for her. “Sure honey, never mind, don’t let her upset you, everything will be okay.”

A thinking man will always be loved by women, and the fact that he has an analytical mind that can solve almost all of life’s problems makes him very woman-friendly. “I tell you, there’s no problem that my man cannot deal with or solve. I’d be lost without him.” Even when a woman will lose her cool and get flustered, the calm, soothing voice of an intelligent man will give her confidence and she’ll brim with love and adoration for him.

“Oh honey, I just love it how you dealt with that problem. You’re so smart.” So true, women abhor dumb men, so the intelligent, thinking man is definitely woman-friendly. And this doesn’t necessarily mean ‘book learning’ either, but analytical and street-smart.

A man of faith is also very womanfriendly and ultimately wife-friendly. Faith here is not referring to religious faith, but belief in himself, and what he can achieve. Things may seem bleak and dank, and his life will appear to be in ruin, but somehow he fails to focus on the negative, but concentrates on the positive.

The man is an eternal optimist and has more faith in himself than others have in him. His motto is ‘can do’, and women love that in a man. Men like that will have women lining up to be with them, as no problem seems to be unsolvable. He’s like the ant on the two-pound bread, he won’t stop trying till he drops down dead, as the old saying goes. Women love that trait in a man.

Now we come to the free spirit, and many women have complained to me that their men are dead stock, barely alive, don’t want to do anything. Yes indeed, women like it when a man has pep in his step and a glide in his stride, a man who has a zest for life and lives it to the fullest.

Being around those men is such a turn-on for women, and even though some may complain about tiredness at times, they really love a man with a penchant for enjoying life. “I just love being around him, he always wants to do something, take me somewhere, enjoy moments that will give us great memories.”

Men who love to travel, even around Jamaica, enjoy all aspects of life, spend very little time on the couch on weekends, and are the get-up-and-go kind are very woman-friendly guys. Being with that type of man ensures that a woman’s days will never be boring. The woman with a man with joi de vivre, as the French say, will be more than content, she’ll be blissfull.

Now, that first line from the above Shakespearean quote mentioned ‘slept together,’ so it would be remiss of me if I didn’t explore that aspect of what it takes to be woman-friendly. Yes sirree Bob, the man who can handle himself in that department — lovemaking, as well as rocking sex, and romance -— is more than woman-friendly. When he comes a-knocking, you won’t have to ask what he’s knocking with.

So, those are some of the attributes that make a man woman-friendly. Even if you’re a macho man there’s nothing wrong with being woman-friendly.

More time.

seido1@hotmail.com

Footnote: Discipline seems to be a thing of the past. So much so that many people aren’t even aware that indiscipline is what it is, and accept it as the norm. They protest when the authorities remove people from areas where they’re not supposed to be, saying, ‘Is fight yu a fight gainst dem.’

It’s a recurring decimal now, that every year some schools fail to register their students on time for the annual Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championships — Champs. Everyone knows the deadline, yet they still manage to miss it, then run up and down bawling to the authorities to bend the rules and give them a pass.

I feel sorry for the poor students who have trained so hard, then have to miss Champs because of the indiscipline of those in charge at their schools. What is wrong with us? Last year, when a high-profile school missed the deadline, legal luminaries in high places even took up the case, but to no avail, as rules are rules. Why blame and curse the authorities for upholding the rules?

It’s all a question of discipline, so if you know that the date and time is X, then you submit by X and not a minute later. The fact that school authorities show no discipline is sad.

Discipline… soon to be deleted from our dictionaries. Congrats, Calabar and Edwin Allen for winning this year.