Society forces us to be macho these days.

So, we’ll wear our pants below our waist, wear our cap backways, listen to Rick Ross, drink beer while watching football. In fact, we are so macho these days, if we’re in the club and someone accidentally spills drink on our shirt, we might just fight them (or at least pretend like we wanna fight them).

Now if you think that’s macho, that’s fine, we’re all guilty of that shit. But when you’re with your woman, sometimes you need to exude a different type of “machoism”… and sometimes it can surface in ways you don’t realize. When you’re man enough to be romantic  … for her, it doesn’t get more macho than that.

1. Cook her nice meal. Or if you suck in the kitchen, at least make an attempt to prepare something special. It’s the thought that counts (unlike a crappy birthday gift). So, without further ado, google a recipe, print it, head to the kitchen and do your thing.

2. Watch a romantic drama with her. Get comfortable in the couch, put your arms around her, pull her close and play “The Fault in Our Stars”. She’ll cry in your arms and you’ll connect on a whole new level.

3. Take her out dancing. And I’m not referring to the club where you grind up on her. I’m talking about going to Salsa. It’s even more romantic, if you’re learning together… she’ll laugh at your mistakes, you’ll hold her close, she’ll look into your eyes, you’ll want to kiss her.

4. Handwrite a poem. It doesn’t matter if you’re good or not. If you write something for the girl you love, it would mean the world to her. And for some reason, if it’s handwritten, it would feel that much more special.

5. Buy her a red rose, just because she’s special to you.

6. At least once in your relationship, take a long romantic walk along the beach and hold her hand every step of the journey. Walk aimlessly till you stumble across the perfect spot, spread out a towel on the sand, take out a bottle of wine, pour two glasses… and watch the sun set.

7. If she owns a dog, especially a cute little doggy. Arrange to go to the park on a Sunday evening and bond with her and her furry friend. If she doesn’t own a dog, but she’s an animal person, ask one of your friends to ‘babysit’ their dog. Don’t question it, just do it.

8. Go out for Karaoke night… choose the sappiest song ever, go on the stage, dedicate the song to her and sing your heart out. And it’s okay to choose a Backstreet Boys or Nsync song because many of us used to listen to them but pretended like we didn’t.

9. If she’s never seen snow (or you’ve never seen snow), plan a trip to Seattle. Play around in the snow like kids, make a snow ball and throw it at her and she’ll do the same. And when the moment is perfect, hold her close till you warm her up, look into her eyes and kiss her while she quivers in your arms.

This article first appeared on Thought Catalog. Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page for updates…Thanks!

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