It was our first date. Chuck followed me to my side of his car. He opened the door.
And from that point on I have come to realize just how much of a gentleman to whom I am married.
We take walks through downtown Noblesville. If you see us, you will notice that Chuck walks closest to the traffic. I questioned him when he first changed sides. He said it was because it’s safer for me. That was a new one for me.
I grab my coat and as I start to put it on I feel a gentle tug to my sleeve. It’s my husband helping me put on my coat.
As a female enters a room to speak to Chuck, he stands up.
Respect. Chivalry. The right thing to do. Being a gentleman.
I admit it took some getting used to when I started dating Chuck. I had to learn to allow him to pull back my chair and scoot it in whenever I sat down in a restaurant. I now wait in the car whenever it is raining until he comes around to my side with an umbrella.
I have never had anyone treat me the way Chuck treats me. Perhaps it was one of the many reasons that I fell in love with him so quickly. And you know what? He still treats me like a queen.
Chuck was a teacher of math and history, yet I think along the way he also taught chivalry to a few guys.
They say whenever you date someone to watch how they treat servers in a restaurant. Listen to how they talk to people. Do they talk down to them? Do they show appreciation? Do they use the words, please and thank you?
By the time we leave a restaurant we know a lot about the person who is serving us. Chuck asks them how long they have worked there, where they grew up and about the school they attended. If they are in college, he asks them what they are majoring in. It’s simple, polite conversation.
I will tell you that our servers become even more attentive to us.
Isn’t that what respect is all about? Simply caring for people the way that you want to be cared for? It gets lost in a lot of relationships.
Sadly, chivalry and respect for women has somehow lost its way through generations. Maybe when women starting getting more rights we didn’t allow men to treat us with old fashioned chivalry. We lost out.
Whenever a man opens a door for me I don’t just say “thank you” but I acknowledge them for being a gentleman. I often tell that that their mama would be proud of them.
I know its old school but I still think it needs to be taught.