I finally get it...
I started my romantic life at 14, it's the first time I seriously started to see girls in an interesting and curious way. Growing up beforehand, I had a more infantile image of what girls were.
When I was in primary school I had a few girls that used to get on my nerves by copying me / poking and prodding me, I did not understand at the time that it was to seek my attention.
Speaking to my Mum, she taught me that throughout my life, girls are gonna do things that confuse, hurt, annoy, encourage, scare, inspire and manipulate me. I had not a scooby doo what any of that meant at the time, at least on a useful level. The context was solid, but my understanding was skewed.
I just thought to myself "this girl is causing me issues" or a less mature version of that quote... I can't remember exactly how I used to talk!
How did I work out how to swing this in my favour? I spent time listening to girls, talking to them and trying to connect with their "kind". I asked them why they are the way they are and in turn what their motivations and reasons were. Up until about 21, I still had little to no clue, I only understood the overview of how to draw them.
Even then, once I learned how to draw them through trial and error, I was still missing the fundamentals. I didn't know how to keep their interest, or tend to their needs, I had a very selfish and chauvinistic point of view. Men are better than women, blah blah blah and my happiness equated to that of more importance than that of my girlfriends (at the time).
Your girlfriend will cheat on you / leave you / lose respect for you: if you don't stand up for anything, let alone her. Being a good boyfriend is about trusting the intelligence of your partner and knowing that you chose to be with her; because you knew she could take on at least the basic elements of social situations. Being supportive does not mean being controlling or jealous.
Bear this in mind and your days will be long!
Part two coming next week.
