What Respect means to a Man

I have heard people say many times that when it comes to men, love is overrated as respect is the real deal. Why? I always wondered.

Unfortunately, women struggle to understand why there is so much fuss about respect. I wouldn’t by any chance try to feign what I think respect means to a man. Even if I tried, I certainly would fall short as easily as a man trying to explain labour pain. In this post, I play the role of a collector of facts from the men and have nested them succinctly in two points. What does respect mean to a man?

Do things the way he wants, in a way that fits him

Given that our tastes and peculiarities are broad and varied, it makes good sense to treat everyone, including men with this backdrop in mind. Know what works for him and with him. Understand his peculiarities, ideologies, aspirations and goals. Do not make light of his opinions and perspective even when you disagree with them. In other words, know what he likes and how he likes it, in a way that works for him. Although this sounds almost basic, it seems to be a missing foundation. With this at hand, it’s easy to understand why a man can react defensively to things that most women might find normal; like when a man says, “I don’t like the way you talked to me” even if it appears that everything from the tone to the content of the conversation was right.

Respect is as simple as treating him right

Glaringly, respect has nothing to do with calling a man Sir or ‘curtsying‘. It is simply treating him the right way. If you respect him, you would treat him right, in the same way you expect to be treated well. In the final analysis, what most men mean by respect often times is just basic human decency. At least, anyone can start from here before figuring out the rest that’s peculiar.  

As it appears, there isn’t much to it after all. Our ability to apply the right stroke for the right folk will make the ultimate difference. Men, like women, are not robots and no manual will suffice as a one-size-fits-all guide in this matter. It is up to us – the women in their lives to seek to understand them, their persona, aspirations, abilities, weaknesses, motivations, mission, vision, values and respond to them in a way that fits their individuality. Selah!

Photo Credit Three-shots from Pixabay