| v> | | | | strength and resourcefulness when the situation calls |
| Let's face it. In many ways women are easy to buy | | | | for it. Some women get addicted to this power and let |
| for. Most of us love the traditional romantic gifts | | | | go of the so-called feminine side of their natures. |
| including: | | | | Others realize that you can have both. |
| Chocolates | | | | So what it's really about is knowing the woman that |
| Flowers | | | | you're buying for. You'll know you're in trouble when |
| Jewelry | | | | you start saying things like, "Women love flowers" or |
| Lingerie | | | | "I'm sure she'd love a box of chocolates for her |
| Perfume | | | | birthday". She may prefer some clay for her |
| Candles | | | | sculptures or some new gardening tools. Romance is |
| Soft Toys | | | | more about the care that went into choosing the gift, |
| Clothes | | | | rather than the gift itself. |
| But on the other hand we're difficult. We know what | | | | Here's a story that illustrates this point: |
| we like, and we don't want to settle for less. We pay | | | | Barbara and her husband John often talked about their |
| attention to little things, so we appreciate it when you | | | | pasts, especially the time when they were small |
| give us a gift in our favorite color, or one that has | | | | children. In the course of one particular conversation, |
| special meaning. | | | | Barbara described a beautiful old-fashioned pencil case |
| We love romantic gestures, like poetry, love letters and | | | | her mother gave her when she first started school. |
| romantic music. Men often consider us gullible when | | | | She hadn't thought about the case in years, but at the |
| they see us being 'taken in' by another man's soft | | | | time it was one of her most treasured possessions. |
| words and candlelight dinners. The truth is, we often | | | | Six months later, John was browsing in a specialty |
| know when we're being played, but we can't help | | | | store when he came across a pencil case that |
| responding to the gesture. We'd like it to be sincere so | | | | matched Barbara's description. He immediately bought |
| we convince ourselves that it is. And occasionally, the | | | | it and presented it to her that night. |
| manipulative male becomes a victim of his own | | | | Barbara was delighted with his gift and amazed that |
| techniques and falls for the woman he set out to | | | | John had recalled their conversation. To her the gift |
| victimize. | | | | was magical. It felt as if John had restored a little piece |
| But falling for romantic gestures isn't a sign of | | | | of her childhood. |
| weakness. A woman can muster huge wells of | | | | |