I'm having a major discussion with a girlfriend. We want to ask the bloggers for male and female opinions.

I've just gotten to the three month mark in a new relationship ( my g/f is meeting new men also) As a result we've become exclusive and weekends are "habit forming". OLD Habits from past traditional "roles" Female make food - male eat. Female cleans up - male reads paper sort of thing.

While he is NOT asking for anything, I'm getting up and doing this on my own.  more...

I'm having a major discussion with a girlfriend. We want to ask the bloggers for male and female opinions.

I've just gotten to the three month mark in a new relationship ( my g/f is meeting new men also) As a result we've become exclusive and weekends are "habit forming". OLD Habits from past traditional "roles" Female make food - male eat. Female cleans up - male reads paper sort of thing.

While he is NOT asking for anything, I'm getting up and doing this on my own. He would be happy to make me breakfast, he is willing to go out if I so deem it. I am working on 'traditional" training of how to please a man, how to keep a man, how to service a man. THIS man is NOT doing that. He is cleaning up after I cook, he is going out of his way to be a true "other half" not playing the traditional cave man image.

So I want to know if anyone has dealt with the "traditional" training of the Donna Reed Show or Father Knows Best? Then arrived in 2008? what did you do? how did you do it? How does it work? Or not work?

I know it's individual and per couple but I can learn a few tricks here as I have many many times in the past from the amazing bloggers here.

Thank you in advance

Aimee aka Natalie less...

Well my dad is retired and my mother is not yet. He does the cleaning around the house so after mom's work week she can relax on the weekend and they can enjoy being with each other. Must work well because they have been married 41 years! I personally think it is romantic. :-)

My dad was the one that did alot around the house. Would make breakfast, make sure us kids were ready for school, etc. My mom would cook dinner, my dad clean up afterward. Although she did do more around the house than he, my dad never had any problems doing what needed to be done, whether asked or not. So for myself it is of no consequence to have a partner that does things around the house for me. There are things I like to do but overall, if I have a partner that wants to cook and clean, I'm   more...

My dad was the one that did alot around the house. Would make breakfast, make sure us kids were ready for school, etc. My mom would cook dinner, my dad clean up afterward. Although she did do more around the house than he, my dad never had any problems doing what needed to be done, whether asked or not. So for myself it is of no consequence to have a partner that does things around the house for me. There are things I like to do but overall, if I have a partner that wants to cook and clean, I'm not going to question it, I'm going to take advantage of it...*wink*. less...

Stanno and I equally share most duties around the house. He has stayed here twice for month at a time so we have a taste of what it will be like when he moves here (September 10!!!!). I am not a morning person so he maks breakfast and cleans up the breakfast dishes. At supper I usually do most of the cooking but I have had him chopping and peeling and he enjoys that. After dinner he cleans the kitchen. He helps keep the place up. He vacuums and dusts. He helps with the grocery shopping but  more...

Stanno and I equally share most duties around the house. He has stayed here twice for month at a time so we have a taste of what it will be like when he moves here (September 10!!!!). I am not a morning person so he maks breakfast and cleans up the breakfast dishes. At supper I usually do most of the cooking but I have had him chopping and peeling and he enjoys that. After dinner he cleans the kitchen. He helps keep the place up. He vacuums and dusts. He helps with the grocery shopping but will also do some of it on his own. So we share the traditional roles. The roles kind of shift around to who schedule is busier that day and who has the time, etc. less...

I hate the old habits even though my mom lives by them in the new tradition world. If my step dad walks in through the kitchen and heads to the bedroom and then decides he wants something, he will wait for her to enter the room and ask her to bring it too him. She irons his cloths and occasionally will fix his plate. She did the same thing with my dad when they were together, it made me sick to my stomach then and still does to this day. Maybe that's why I can't find a man, Na, just kidding!  more...

I hate the old habits even though my mom lives by them in the new tradition world. If my step dad walks in through the kitchen and heads to the bedroom and then decides he wants something, he will wait for her to enter the room and ask her to bring it too him. She irons his cloths and occasionally will fix his plate. She did the same thing with my dad when they were together, it made me sick to my stomach then and still does to this day. Maybe that's why I can't find a man, Na, just kidding!! I don't mind doing somethings for my man, but bringing you something to eat or drink when you just sat down or walked through the kitchen, fixing your plate after I stood over the stove and cooked it, I think not. I don't think the ironing would bother me that much, but only if he's the kind of man to help out around the house. I think I'm too much of a 2000's woman to keep a man, I need a 2000's man, one that hasn't been spoiled by mommie. less...

Again communicate communicate communicate. Most men who've gotten beyond their 20s today have lived alone and are used to doing for themselves so the traditional roles aren't as important to them. My fiance is more than willing to do his share of the housework and we have set up specific chores to be mine/his based on each of our preferences. As a rule, he cooks and does the washing up, I do the laundry. The list goes on, but you get the idea. That doesn't mean I never cook or wash-up and we do   more...

Again communicate communicate communicate. Most men who've gotten beyond their 20s today have lived alone and are used to doing for themselves so the traditional roles aren't as important to them. My fiance is more than willing to do his share of the housework and we have set up specific chores to be mine/his based on each of our preferences. As a rule, he cooks and does the washing up, I do the laundry. The list goes on, but you get the idea. That doesn't mean I never cook or wash-up and we do go out to eat as well. It also doesn't mean he never does the laundry. Relationships should be a partnership. Are there chores you hate to do? Maybe your guy doesn't mind them and vice versa. If you both like or dislike certain things you can trade off.

Personally, I LOVE the evolved man. My ex was a bit of a jerk in that regard. less...