Book Review: How To Raise A Boyfriend

I am going to take a break from Tuesdays Child for this week. With the stress of going back to school, I picked up a book that a friend suggested. Rebecca Eckler’s “How To Raise A Boyfriend”. Well, being a sucker for humourous self-help/ non-fiction books, I had to read it. The words that made me want it even more were “ will be reading it after me”.

After some hunting, I found the book. I do not read reviews when I pick up something new, but man, oh man. The negativity around this book made me more curious. I made a pot of tea and found my cozy spot. I brought the book with me into the tub. I sat on the couch while my boyfriend played X-Box and I giggled (only to get weird looks). I also left the book out. Needless to say, due to the title, he poked through it.
I found the book amusing, if not a little mean –spirited. I find myself jaded at times, yet what she was saying was true. Sometimes men need a little nudging when it comes to certain aspects in life. Do they wander around the grocery store without you? They’re not comfortable holding your hand and introducing you to others? You dislike how they always seem to have holes in their clothing and never do their chores? In the chapters, she illustrates their similiarities to children. She gets the advice of other women in relationships, other mothers, her ex-boyfriends, her aesthetician and even her psychiatrist. She gives pointers on how women can get men to do what they want – be it bribing, nagging, or threats.

Okay, I see you looking at me like I am a total looney. This can not possibly be a good premise for a book. You can understand why it was dissed so much. Yet, perhaps you’re in a relationship where you constantly feel like you’re mothering. Where you’re yelling and doing everything. One where you just want to smack them upside the head and put them in The Time-Out Corner. Perhaps, you’re just a bitter, jaded, man-hating woman. I like to think that we’ve all been in those types of situations, be it stress of life or the actual relationship.
I am not sure if Rebecca Eckler takes her book seriously, but I looked at it all as humour. You can try to threaten to throw out your boyfriend’s clothing just because you don’t like it- but that won’t get you very far. You can designate gender stereotype chores (which in fact I do, but I don’t make pink/blue cue cards). You can act all jealous and crazy and !@#$%^, just because you’re a woman and think it’s gender tolerated. You can try to do a lot of things, and perhaps people will let you get away with it. But sometimes, you just have to laugh at the flaws each side of the genders have. While she is writing about how men are wrong and dumb (and I’m laughing and recognizing some situations), I am also seeing how useless the men feel. Perhaps women are too hard on some men? (Shh..it’s a book about give and take).

I feel like if you’re into these types of books, pick it up. You will need a sense of humour understand that she’s not fully !@#$%^. If you and your other are into different types of reading material, keep it out. Each gender should read up on the other, if nothing else than to get a laugh at us.

(...on a side note: my book was kept in plain view. BF asked if he could put his feet on me while I was on the couch. “I wouldn’t want a 6 year old girl to have better manners than me” -then, he brought me a sub when he was at the store. The title could be enough to get people to understand each other. “How To Raise A Girlfriend- from Nag to Thoroughbred”. Yes, I compared a woman to a horse...but if we’re sticking with stereotypes, what female doesn’t love ponies?!)