Much ado about a woman’s counsel

updated: Friday 22-08-2008

Getting advice from women is more important than ever. Sure, the 1950s may have made women completely subservient creatures, bowing to the will of their husbands, but everything has changed in the years since.Weighing the advice of a trusted female confidant against your usual dating routine will reveal the holes in a previously foolproof plan, but what other kinds of advice should a man get?

While dipping into the psyche of the fairer sex can be a treasure house of information,the skilled man will have to learn to sort the good from the bad in some situations, as all your female friend has to dish out may not be right after all.

Getting advice from women can be insightful, while at other times, it can be disastrous. Getting advice from women can greatly enhance your dating life in a number of substantial ways, if you know when to look for it. So, when it comes to getting advice from women, we’ve narrowed down the field of what you should and shouldn’t discuss with your gal pal. But be sure if you seek her advice on these issues and she gives her opinion, she is giving you an authentic fact.

Gift advice
Normally, it would seem only natural to get advice from a woman on what to buy for your girlfriend. As women, they ought to share some universal perspective that should allow you pick the perfect gift. Unfortunately, this line of thinking could probably get you into trouble. Women are unique, so the advice will reflect only on what the woman giving the advice wants. This may however not be your girl’s taste.

Your girlfriend, on the other hand, will end up with something another woman wants, which will leave you in the doghouse. There is nothing wrong in picking a piece of advice or two on the gift you want to give to your woman, but it is also important you know your woman’s taste, or you end up spending more than what you budgeted for, as some gift may have to be replaced.

How to communicate with women
When it comes to getting advice from women, this one is a lost cause. While the words women use may resemble the English language in tone and structure, they are arranged in such a way that makes it impossible to understand. Wrapped in metaphor and laced with enigmatic riddles, communicating with women is a process unique to each relationship. There is no outside observer who may decode their language in its entirety, thus, there is no useful advice you can pick from member of this specie.

The best way out of this is to study your woman’s mood and her way of doing things. You can also pick one or two tips and tricks of the game from that woman who is your friend.

Design and fashion tips
While all matters internal are better left to their own devices, seeking advice from women on external choices like fashion and design is a great idea. Television and magazines have given a lot of choices on this, but be sure to seek a friend’s counsel on this if you must buy your girlfriend anything in the world of fashion.

This is not all, be sure to know her taste.This matters a lot. A woman, though, fashionable, may not want to move with the fashion trend. Some may just be comfortable with their own unique creation. As earlier warned, you may end up having to purchase and re-purchase an intended gift.

Romance
Truth be told, successful romance is a manly endeavour. Women remember even the most romantic of evenings through rose-coloured glasses. If you ask for their advice, they will gush about the scene they've concocted where every detail is exaggerated to the point of being completely impossible: A carnation becomes a dozen long-stem roses and a Hyundai suddenly transforms into a horse-drawn carriage. Men bring authenticity to the situation, whereas women bring ideas fit only for Fabio and the covers of grocery store novels.

Getting out of the doghouse
Men often don't realise how they got into the doghouse and may dig themselves a big hole while they’re in there. Getting advice from women on how to get out can be a great strategy. Women can parse your behaviour and let you see the folly of your ways. You will then have an answer to the most unanswerable of questions: “Why are you sorry?”

Executing a breakup
Men will let a relationship go on far too long because breaking up is such an awful ordeal. We immediately regress to junior high school where the air was ripe with the foul stench of melodrama. Getting advice from women on how to execute a breakup is helpful in retaining dignity. You'll be able to break up in a sensitive manner where everyone is an adult, or at the very least, where you are. It will go much better when you aren't using some career-related line or an insult.