What is a Manly Man?

Over at Slick's place a while ago he had a post about what makes a manly man and asked what his readers though. I'm going to borrow (that sounds so much nicer than rip off or steal don't you think?) his idea for a post of my own.

What traits do I qualify as manly? First I thought of physical features,

you know, tall, strong, muscular, big hands (love them) and virile.

Then when I gave it more thought I realized that with my definition of a manly man, even a 98 pound weakling would be manly.

A manly man to me is a man that takes care of himself and others. He is a good husband or boyfriend or father as well as a member in good standing of the human race. He is respectful to others especially his wife, girlfriend or significant other. He accepts your flaws, maybe even finds them endearing. He brings out the best in you and gives you the self-confidence you may need. A manly man is a good provider and takes his responsibilities seriously. He strives to be the best father that he can be regardless if his children live with him or not. A manly man works hard at this job to support his family. He is polite. I'm all for women's rights but call me crazy, I like to have a door held open for me and I like to see a man offer his seat to the elderly, infirmed or pregnant. I've seen men that don't do that and it bugs me. Actually that's being a member of the human race. If you're male or female, if you see someone struggling, you help him or her.

He'll watch a sappy movie with me and not tease me about crying over it. Maybe he'll even shed a few surreptitious tears himself. A manly man has a good sense of humor even when the joke is on him. A manly man kills spiders for me. He cleans up when the kids or the dog have been sick. He basically does the dirty jobs.

A manly man knows when I've had a bad day and will cook dinner. He tells me he loves me daily, not just in works but with his actions too. A manly man will apologize when he's wrong and accept one given to him.

He doesn't have to be a handyman, but know when to call a professional to do the job. (Sean is very handy. Around our house he has tiled floors, put in a hardwood floor, built a deck with his own plans, installed an above ground pool and years later removed said pool, fenced in the backyard, done some plumbing, electrical and dry walling, fixed the roof, installed carpet and indulges my love of changing paint colors in rooms. Most men are proud of any bodily noise they make, maybe that makes them feel manly. If not being able to do any of those things makes a man less manly then I guess I'm not very womanly. I can't sew a stitch, I'm an okay cook, I'm not 36 24, 36, my house is not always the neatest, I could go on.

Some men think that several or all of the above makes them a wimp or pussy whipped but I don't think so at all. If they tried doing some of the above it might get them some womanly woman things. Or as Slick would say, "get laid".