I was recently having a discussion with a friend of mine, we’ll call her Linda, about love.  Linda told me that her mom once advised her that in a relationship the man should love the woman more.  Well it got me thinking, is this true?  For a relationship to work does the man need to be more in love with the woman than she is with him?

Linda recently took the advice to heart and stayed with a man she knew she didn’t love the way he loved her.  She stayed because she thinks this statement should be true.  He loved her so much and so unconditionally, how could someone give that up?  Well, the relationship didn’t work, but why?  Was it because she didn’t love him enough and he loved her more?  Well, as it turns out it was really because she didn’t respect him enough. She didn’t think he was strong enough as a man and complained too much about the difficulties of life. His love for her was the fabulous part, but not enough to make the relationship last.

In a relationship, if he loves her more, does that make him weak? or less of a man?  And is this why Linda’s relationship didn’t work? This is a question I have an opinion on.  I think even the strongest of men can have a super soft spot for a woman in their life that they love unconditionally.  That Type-A personality can still be a softy when it comes to his woman.  However, this type-A man needs to let his ego go at the door to his home,  he has to be in touch with who he is and know that he loves and needs this woman in his life and she needs to love him back, unconditionally too.

Which brings me to my original question, should he love her more?  If you have an opinion let me know, I’d love to hear it, especially from the men!

The perfect woman for this man is laid back, athletic and fit, loves her dog(s), and is extremely smart. She is 35-50 years old and petite. Low maintenance describes her to a "T" and she doesn’t sweat the small stuff. She loves working on the Sunday Times Crossword, sipping her tea and sitting contentedly with her man nearby. She is warm and huggable and loves to cuddle. She is described as cute more often than beautiful, her ethnicity doesn’t matter and she’s not very religious. If she can cook that’s great, but she doesn’t need to mother or take care of him. She can carry on an intelligent conversation from Faulkner to the most recent independent film release. He can be a bit sarcastic and she is welcome to send it right back at him. He dresses up well but doesn’t like to and please don’t make him go to the mall! She is environmentally conscious and can’t wait for the return of the electric car. She is liberal politically and it doesn’t bother her if someone disagrees with her. He is fine with her children and would also consider having a child (he doesn’t have any).

This gal is 45-55, Jewish, attractive, and sophisticated. She has had some excitement in her life, has traveled outside of the U.S. and is intelligent. She is totally open with her feelings, caring and warm. She won’t run away if a man moves a bit fast because he’s ready for a relationship, she’ll just let him know to slow down. She is upfront and honest. She’s in great shape and would love to join him at the gym or on the ski slopes. She loves to travel, dine out (or in) with friends, go to the movies or a show. She is comfortable in most situations and doesn’t need to be the center of attention. It’s fine if she has kids, as long as she has time for a great man in her life. She is spontaneous and a trip with no specific itinerary would be fine with her. She has the smarts to carry on a business discussion with him and give him ideas and suggestions. She is probably liberal when it comes to politics and isn’t afraid to discuss her opinions and back them up. She is willing to do the little things to show she cares.

She is 30-40 years old give or take a few years and treats her body with the respect it deserves. She stays in great physical shape, eats healthfully and plans to take continue her healthy lifestyle throughout her lifetime. She is probably blonde, but he would never count anyone out who wasn’t a blonde. Her day is not easily "ruined" by the little things and she isn’t overly dramatic, just taking things as they come and rolling with it. She can be a girly girl or can throw on some jeans and go camping. She has no trouble letting him be a guy and it won’t worry her if he plays sports and gets roughed up a bit. She has no desire to keep up with the Joneses, but just to live comfortably within their own means. She is Christian and believes in something bigger than herself. Politically she is more middle of the road to conservative. She should have an adventurous side and be up for trying new things, learning new things and have an open mind. She enjoys athletic activities such as skiing, camping, lifting weights, hiking, and just being outdoors. She loves to travel and would like to do even more traveling once she has kids to expose them to all the wonderful things the world has to offer!