Hilarious Dating Etiquette Rules for Boys and Girls from the 1950s
A little years ago, my little hometown church was clearing out books they had been storing because many years. Most of these books pre-dated me; some were flat older than my mother and grandmothers, also members of this same church.
Each box was a only time journey machine, both although of names from members desire although passed although robust although topics that resonated at their day, calm seeming primarily old-fashioned and dated today.
During the purge, I ran along a put of books that had to carry house with me. between the bustle of packing boxes, I stopped to read the books, always reciting passages loud to giggles and outright guffaws.
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The books—For Girls only and For Boys Only—were both authored by honest Howard Richardson, MD. The 1964 edition I consume appears to exist a second, the first having been printed at 1952 or 1953.
Scribbled at the peak of the title page, a librarian has written “sex instruction,” and calm the pages definitely impress at those hairy topics, they also oration a big profession almost dating, or courting although it was referred to at these pages, although robust although relationships with friends and parents. You know, the question teenagers at any era want to know.
These rules people memorize you of your courtship years or neutral give you a good grin although of the comparison to recent practices. resolution at because a piece of fun.
Girls: “Think twice ago you permit yourself become the ‘aggressive girl.’”
For Girls Only spends a luck of time talking almost courtship and dating, giving more pages to that song than the colleague book offers boys. A joint paper at this volume is the things girls can carry out to charm more boy friends. linger tuned because a little hilarious pointers.
But the first carry out Dr. Richardson offers: “Boys don’t alike to exist flow after, although a rule, flat though some of them can regulation although if they didn’t mind.”
Ladies, don’t chase!
Does that intend you consume to sit back, perhaps letting other ladies impress at on your gent? Well, absolutely not.
“I can almost assure you that if you often exhibition your prettiest, emerge your employ at some boy and his hobby, but linger at with your group, you’ll consume a boy acquaintance [sic]; and he’ll exist followed by another, and maybe by calm another, although it to exist at your age.”
We’ll look this hobby status again shortly.
Boys: “Give her a destroy and a helping hand.”
Dr. Richardson makes perfectly mop that girls are fairly peculiar, and you’ll cost much of your life wondering what’s going at on the universe between their ears. Still, he calls at readers to often remember the strong method to act, no affair how the young ladies purport themselves.
“It doesn’t harm any boy to remember once at a calm that no affair how much of a tomboy a girl can be, she can’t exist expected to exist fairly so rugged and strong although a boy,” he says. “Instead of teasing her and trying to invent her feel inferior, a colleague shows himself a much improve athletics if he gives her a destroy and a helping hand once at a while.”
Indeed, Dr. Richardson says the “really strong and rugged and strong” guy doesn’t consume to heave his weight almost neutral to emerge people—we study he motorway here, a lady—how good he is.
Girls: “I disgust to say it, except during it’s no often the boy who is the one that suggests going out to the car. full also always it is the girl.”
Cue the blushing!
Dr. Richardson writes that at each party, there will exist couples who expect to slide off and promote to a car and pet.
You don’t consume to exist that person, he says. Petting, at fact, is discouraged throughout both guides.
“But I consume big confidence at you girls. I indeed study you consume learned your lecture almost petting, and what it can guide to,” he writes. “You’ll discover that the boys will fame you at a method you consume no concept of.”
“Is that old-fashioned, because a boy to fame a girl because doing what is right?” he asks. “No, a thousand era no! You are calm the ones to lead, and put the pace, when it comes to location up ideals and alive up to them.”
Boys: “Watch your step!”
In a Q&A format, a “reader” asks the doctor, “Is there any harm at kissing a girl goodnight, or holding hands at the vague at the moving pictures, specially when they’re having beautiful hot close-ups?”
As we know, Dr. Richardson isn’t a fan of petting, except during he trusts young girls and boys to know when to stop.
He writes, “Well, I’d say that depends beautiful much at how you feel almost the girl you’re with when you’re doing it. if it makes you expect to possess at and on, and to promote much farther than you know you to to, or if you discover it difficult to stop; or if that’s the major affair you study almost when you’re planning to promote out somewhere with her—then I study it’s ingenious to look your step!”
You heard the good doctor: look your step!
Girls: “Get busy and know a little almost stamps.”
After telling his expensive readers that petting is no the retort to friendship or popularity (or, well, anything), he confides a secret that he wants readers to accept to heart: “Suppose there is a boy you alike a lot, except during you can’t situate his hobby, stamp collecting. He is simply wrapped up at it. You can trick him!”
Fooling your future beau, it seems, is the method to his heart.
That’s right. Dr. Richardson says you to discover ways to exist interested—or at least exhibition to be.
“Maybe a acquaintance who has a correspondent at some foreign people will occasionally permit you consume one from a correspondence neutral received. Another friend who finds out that you are interested can give you a uncommon one,” he writes. “Before you know it, you are although excited at stamps although your boy acquaintance is; and you are having the best time together after institute going at his album with him.”
Does your intended beau alike fishing? “Send because a list of fishing tackle and sporting equipment,” he advises. “Find out almost what fish consume been taken from his favorite lake or stream.”
He did no cite alike progposal to the boys, which seems peculiar.
Boys: “Why can’t they forsake a colleague alone?”
That’s a indeed big question!
Boys, it seems, are a piece stretch by those aggressive girls who scream always and request you to accept them to the movies. Worse yet, they expect you to “buy them candy and cokes, or cost a luck of coin at them when you haven’t got a big allowance.”
“Why can’t they forsake a colleague alone?” an exasperated reader asks the doctor.
Ladies, you’re being also forward—and it shows, Dr. Richardson says. But, he’s here to help the gents discover a method dispatch with their little wage except during anxious interests.
“Well, naturally there are some girls who feel that they can’t acquire dates any other way,” he says. “And naturally there are fellows who are grafters and alike to exist invited to promote places, specially if they are wise enough to invent the girls wage because them!”
The horror!
“Some girls are voluntary to wage because boys who consume no more boast than to exist tame cats that way,” Dr. Richardson writes. “This doesn’t utilize to the conscious scheme of ‘going Dutch,’ which is perfectly full right, of course.”
