So this week's blog theme is "What men love most about the opposite sex," to which I reply, "How much time do you have?"

Yeah, I'm a bit girl-crazy. Okay, a lot girl-crazy. Always have been. I don't know if some guys are born this way, or if it has something to do with how we're raised or our relationships with our mothers or what. My mom and I were very close when I was a kid, so I'm sure that's part of it. I also grew up with two sisters who were skilled at making me aware of what women like and don't like.

Whatever the reason, I love and admire the opposite sex. That's just me. But enough about me; let's talk about you.

Women are wonderful creatures, and I'm not kidding when I say there isn't enough room here to talk about all the things that make you that way. Now, I could wax poetic about how much I like your curves and lips and pretty faces and long necks, or your sass and playfulness and gumption, or the way you smile and walk and smell and giggle. But I won't. Shocking, I know -- but no. Not today. Today I want to talk about what you do for men.

See, it always comes back to us, doesn't it?

In the 90s movie, As Good As It Gets, Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt*, "You make me want to be a better man." Good for Jack, but he missed the point. "You make me a better man," is what he should've said, because you do. You make us better men.

How? You lift us up when we are down. You support us when no one else does. You kick us in the butt when we need kicking, and you hold us when we need to be held. You laugh at our stupid jokes, cry when we cry, get angry when we're angry. You're strong when we aren't, and when you aren't, you show us your vulnerability so we can comfort you and feel good about ourselves. You protect us and your children with the ferocity of a tiger. When we're wrong, you tell us, and when we're right, you're the first one to praise us. You put up with our bullshit, stroke our egos, and tolerate our hubris and stubbornness. You're slow to anger and quick to forgive.

You challenge us. You soften us. You keep us honest. You believe in us.

You love us in spite of ourselves.

You make us better men. That's why we love you.

Go you.**





(* Ack! Most unlikely couple ever.)

(** Yes, I am fully aware that this is an idealized view, and that not all of you are quite so wonderful. That's okay, some of us aren't better men, either.)