The Boyfriend Book - Micheal E. Reid

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was no such thing as a “boyfriend.” “If a man wanted you, he would marry you.” Before I jumped up and tried to explain to her how things are different now, I asked myself, am I listening to understand, or am I listening just to reply—like most people do when someone is trying to sell them something other than whatever they believe in? I decided to live to fight another day, and I kindly thanked her for the conversation and went home. When I got home, I Googled everything I could about the word “boyfriend.”

      The more I dug into researching the word, the more my mind was blown. I was at a loss for words. Here was this word that I had used ever since I was old enough to be able to afford to take a girl to the movies (which was age thirteen, by the way). This word was the reason why I always dressed nicely, why I went out of my way to talk to every pretty girl I saw. When I was first introduced to love, it was through the idea of “boyfriend.”

      That idea changed when I opened the dictionary and looked it up, just like you’re supposed to do with any other word that you use, especially one you use to define your happiness, to identify the role of the most important person in your life not related to you. So many people use the word “boyfriend” and don’t even know what it really means. Let’s test a theory.

      If you’re reading this, you have probably heard the word “boyfriend” before. I would push the envelope a little further and say that not only have you heard the word, you probably know what it means. So if you know what a word means, that means you know its definition. Where do we get definitions? The dictionary. Here are three sources, all of them saying pretty much the same thing; but for me, it was all about what they didn’t say.

      boyfriend (boi∙frĕnd)

      Noun

      1. A male companion or friend with whom one has a sexual or romantic relationship.

      2. A male friend.

      Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition, copyright ©2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

      boy·friend \boi· frĕnd\

      Simple Definition of boyfriend: a man that someone is having a romantic or sexual relationship with

      Source: Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary

      boy· friend

      /boi/frend

      Noun

      1. A regular male companion or friend with whom one has a sexual or romantic relationship.

      Synonyms: lover, sweetheart, beloved, darling, dearest, man, guy, escort

      Source: Google Dictionary

      What If

      What if I told you that “boyfriend” didn’t exist?

      Would you believe me?

      What if I took it a step further and said that the

      idea of a “boyfriend” (to include missing one, wanting one,

      accepting “boyfriend” as a necessary step in the process

      of you going from single to married)

      would be the biggest roadblock

      you could ever face?

      Would you take my word for it?

      What if I told you that while the idea

      of having a boyfriend could possibly be one

      of the most pleasurable seasons in your life,

      in the long run it could ultimately

      do more harm than good?

      Would you erase every memory of it?

      Of the word. Of the title. Of the need.

      Probably not.

      Don’t worry. At first, I didn’t either.

      But I have studied. I have prayed.

      And I have come to a conclusion:

      If the ultimate goal for you is marriage,

      There is no fundamental need for a boyfriend

      to achieve it…

      And I have found no concrete evidence to

      contradict this theoretical goal.

      So, therefore, having a boyfriend becomes an option.

      Not mandatory.

      I am going to use stories, poems, experiences,

      Over the next hundred pages or so,

      Both personal and professional,

      To convince you that while I know

      every woman loves options,

      and some—just as many—love the idea of

      coming home to someone,

      Counting on someone to be there when no one else is,

      Making love to someone

      (Including you sometimes),

      Someone to be your rock, your special place,

      Or whatever emotional, spiritual,

      or inspirational quote you

      attach to someone you care about…

      I am here to convince you, to warn you,

      to set you up for success.

      By saying that someone this powerful could never be just a

      boyfriend.

      Option vs. Obligation

      For me, why somebody does something is just as important as what they do. If you agree, and if we apply this thinking to relationships, then it’s my opinion that being in a relationship makes it hard for you to realize whether someone is doing something because they want to or because it’s what they are supposed to do. I believe that “boyfriend” and “relationships” turn what used to be an option into an obligation. Let’s start from the beginning.

      courtship /kohrt·ship/ noun

      Simple Definition of courtship

      1. Somewhat old-fashioned: the activities that occur when people are developing a romantic relationship that could lead to marriage or the period of time when such activities occur

      Source: Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary

      When you met a man, if the year was around, say, 1930 to 1940, the courting process would begin. This would carry all the way through until marriage. It was sort of like a man’s audition to be your co-star. This courtship has evolved to what we now all know as dating. The problem is, the dating doesn’t last as long as the courtship. The next stop isn’t wife any more, it’s girlfriend. This changes what a man does for you from being an option to being an obligation. This makes it more like work, and less like play. Where it messes things up is that a woman can’t tell if the act is coming from the kindness of his heart or because he feels like this is what he has to do, because of his title. No boyfriend, no problem.

      Why?

      So the million-dollar question is, why do I want to write a book that cautions women against ever having a boyfriend? The first reason is parents. I believe it’s your parents’ job to protect you from the world as best they can, for as long as they can, until you’re smart enough, strong enough, and equipped with enough to deal with this world on your own. Your parents are either going to be your strongest asset or your most frustrating liability, depending upon how supportive your family is or isn’t. Without ignoring all of the other ways that a family can let you down, I want to focus specifically on the relationship aspect.

      I

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