Entering the Dating World

For my senior capstone as a psychology major at Miami University I co-authored a book From Clash to Complement An Analysis of Gender Roles and Marriage with my friend, Austin.  We humorously and scientifically claimed that complementary gender roles within dating and marriage will foster the most happiness.  Our aim was to write a book that explained a radical alternative to the dating and marriage life that most people know today.  "A culture that has suffered the causalities of traditional marriages and explored the battle grounds of egalitarian relationships must turn toward a complementary understanding for refuge."  Our viewpoint was strong, and it led to quite a book... I was reading portions of it last night and thought it would be fun to share some of the more humorous aspects. 

Table of Contents
Section I Dating
Chapter 1: Playing House
                Traditional Stereotypes & Dating
Chapter 2: Romantically Challenged
                The Egalitarian Attempt to Dating
Chapter 3: The Best Date Yet
                Complementary Dating
Section II Marriage 
Chapter 4: Unpleasantville
                The Life of Traditional Marriage
Chapter 5: Two Left Feet
                The Dance of Egalitarian Marriage
Chapter 6: Peanut Butter & Jelly
                The Delight of Complementary Marriage

As introductions for each chapter Austin and I shared personal stories either from our own lives or from the lives of our friends or family members.  The most entertaining stories we included were those that recalled each of our entries into the dating world...

Romantically Challenged
The Egalitarian Attempt to Dating
Entering the Dating World
    In kindergarten I remember having pigtails, purple stretch pants, and a love for macaroni and cheese.  My mom once showed me pictures of myself wearing a cardboard cut-out of macaroni and cheese for a class performance.  I thank the Lord that aside from those pictures I have no real recollection of why I was wearing 'mararoni' and dancing around on stage.  However, one memory I unabashedly recall is my kindergarten Valentine's Day.
     We can all remember the Valentine's cards with cartoon characters or pretty princesses on the front.  The whole class swaps "Your Sweet" valentines and candy hearts to ensure that kid in the back row isn't left-out.  But that's not the memory I'm talking about.  I did the whole class valentine swap alright, but it was after I got home from that busy kindergarten day that my doorbell rang.  I skidded through the kitchen to see who was at the door, and Raymond, the cutest boy from my class, was standing at the door with a single rose!  As he handed me my first real red rose he stammered, "W-would you like to go see B-Beauty and the Beast on ice with me... and my dad?"  Dad, or no dad, I was going on my first date!  Pigtails, purple stretch pants and all - that's when I entered the dating world.  And had I see all the jerks, heartbreaks, and break-downs coming, I might have waited... at least until first grade!
    Now, eighteen years later, I still find myself in the 'dating world'.  Although, I do believe I've learned a thing or two along the way.  I have gained knowledge from the preps and skaters, the short-term and long-distance, and cheaters and the clingers.  I've been there as my friends have hooked-up, shacked-up, and broken-up.  I've spent many late night learning from 'expert' Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City's New York Times sex columnist.  I've journaled, researched, and studied; and prayerfully this journey will end with a book worth your reading and a man worth my loving.

We turned-in our book and graduated college the next week... I doubt we changed many people's minds about gender roles, but a year later I still think it's a book worth reading.