If you’ve been dating women for awhile, you probably know they like to talk. This is good; communication is an essential part of any relationship. But communication isn’t always as simple as it seems. And it’s not the only thing you need to master when you’re dating women.

Things to Remember When Dating Women

No matter how solid your relationship, you probably have problems at some point. People are complicated. And there are some easy things you can do to make sure you can enjoy a successful dating relationship. There are also some not-so-easy things you can do to make your relationship more successful.

When you’re dating women, make sure you go about doing everything you can to make the relationships more successful. Some of them are obvious, like the previously-mentioned communicating. But there are more:

Listening: The flip side of communicating is listening. Know what she’s saying (and ladies, know what he’s saying) or you’ll miss something important. And you might miss something that’s important to her, which is just as bad. The words “nevermind” or “forget it” or “it doesn’t matter” don’t actually mean that. They mean, “I think you don’t care what I’m saying.” When you’re dating women, you should avoid that at all costs. When she says that, apologize for being distracted, and ask her to repeat it. You’ll be glad you did. Be the Man: Hold the door open for her, foot the bill (at least occasionally) and make sure you’re just as responsible as she is for having safe sex. Remember the “Golden Rule”: The best way to make a relationship work when you’re dating women is to show that you’re serious by treating her with respect. Talk About Your Plans: Discuss what you want to do with your life and with your relationship. This keeps both of you on the same page and shows that you’re not hiding things. Don’t Spend Time With Other Women: This is especially important. When you’re dating women, do not spend time alone with other women. Even if they’re “just friends” make sure other people are there, too. Otherwise, you’re girlfriend will get jealous. Not might. Will. It also opens the door to cheating. You probably think that it won’t happen to you. But it can. It does happen to people all the time. Just eliminate the possibility by closing the door to it. Encourage Her. You might think her goals are stupid and impossible. Don’t tell her that. Do what you can to encourage her. She’ll thank you for it. And you might be surprised by what she can do if given the opportunity. Compliment her. If you’re dating women, you’ll find they love compliments. You might think she knows you think she’s pretty because you’re dating her, but she wants to hear it. You might think she knows she thinks you’re smart, but she wants to hear it. Listen to what she says, and you’ll probably notice that she pays you frequent compliments. It’s for two reasons. She wants to know that you think she’s pretty awesome, too, and she wants you to know that she feels that way about you. Return the favor.

Dating women can be hard work. But if you know how to lay the foundation, the rest of it will come pretty easily. You’ll still have to work at it, but if you treat her with respect, encourage her and treat her the way you want to be treated, you’ll probably find that after awhile, it comes pretty naturally.