Just so we are clear, I am a firm believer in chivalry.

I believe in the whole shebang. I want the whole shebang. And I think the whole shebang is what women love most about men.

From what I’ve heard, men seem to think women are intricate creatures who don’t know what they want and are never completely satisfied with what they have.

Ouch. For real, men?

I can spout off about a billion things that I want. And out of those billion things I can rattle off the top of my head, the most important is plain and simple: I want respect.

I love flowers and chocolate. Tiger lilies are my absolute favorite. And I could sit and eat an entire Hershey’s chocolate bar in one sitting without ever having too much chocolate.

But when it comes down to it, I just want to know that at the end of the day I am respected.

In my opinion, chivalry is a form of respect. When men go the extra mile to do something charming for us, it makes us feel valued. Women are like an open book.

We love it when you text us just to say, "Hey, I was thinking about you."<br/>And we absolutely go weak in the knees when you open the car door for us.And we absolutely go weak in the knees when you open the car door for us.
And we absolutely go weak in the knees when you open the car door for us.

In society today, I feel like most men don’t realize how chivalry affects women. And who would?

Women use the same language as men and then demand to be treated with respect.

Women are on this feminism revival and some are absolutely mortified when a man goes out of his way to pay for dinner and or pull out her chair for her to sit.

I have reached that point in my life where I am just tired of playing the game. And I’m sure there are plenty of men who are just as tired, if not more.

I am tired of not knowing where I stand with a man and then overcompensating to pick up the slack. I am tired of walking behind a man only to reach the door and have it shut in my face. And most of all, I am tired of feeling guilty for being placed in uncomfortable situations where I have to speak up in order to slow down.    

Women want to be protected. We want to be that “damsel in distress” that can safely fall into the arms of the man she loves. Granted, we love to be chased. The enticement of that mystery is enough to make any woman giddy.

But giddiness is only the beginning. Giddiness won’t take a relationship to that next level. Giddiness does not make a relationship last. And that giddiness won’t be there when the roots of your hair start turning gray.

It is in those moments when a man reaches for the tab and confidently says, “I’ve got this,” on the first date.

It is in those red roses he got you “just because.”

It is when he still opens that car door after 20 years of marriage and your heart still skips a beat.

Chivalry is an important part of romance and life. Without it, where do the butterflies go?<br/>