Valentine's Day: From a Male Perspective

By CJ Babcock/”The Voice” assistant features editor

Valentine’s Day is kind of a double-edged sword for a man if you have a girlfriend. On the one hand, you’re losing money and being bossed around like it’s your wedding day. On the other hand, it’s kind of nice because you feel that your significant other cares about you and all that sensitive stuff us guys don’t like to talk about.

Don’t be mistaken, however, guys do like Valentine’s Day, as much as girls (or at least that’s what we say to our girlfriends). We like it in a different way and at a different time.

A man will spend about all his college tuition money on his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day. Rings (and other jewelry), chocolates, teddy bears; you name it, she’s got to have it. But, what does the man get? Fifteen seconds of fame really. A man gets that great “Oh! Look what my (insert your sappy name here) bought me!” A man feels great, he got his lady the thing she wanted. But what does he get? Maybe his girlfriend will buy herself some sexy lingerie or maybe she’ll get him a DVD of “The Notebook” (which I have several copies of. Please, no more).

However, if a man is single, he has one of the worst days of his life. All a man will think about on Valentine’s Day are all the women he isn’t with. That really nice one who he left (or who left him in high school), that pretty girl at the party he was too shy to say ‘hello’ to and even the best friend who he just can’t seem to ask out. The nice thing. although it may only be a single ray of hope, about being single on Valentine’s Day for a man is that there is usually a girl who is single and gorgeous, and in her loneliness might notice him. But this isn’t “The Notebook,” so love stories like that rarely happen in real life. Don’t get your hopes up fellas.

This year is the first year I have been single for Valentine’s Day, so my friends and I (who are all single; ladies any takers?) are going have a “Dude’s Night Out.” I anticipate a lot of chest bumping and name calling, maybe even one of our “married” friends will bring his awesome girlfriend along. You know the one who isn’t like the girls mentioned in this article, who is really nice and thoughtful and she’ll make everyone miserable and jealous of him.

Okay, so maybe Valentine’s Day for a man is a series of very small victories and giant defeats. The joy for a woman is receiving and the joy for a man is giving, but maybe, just maybe, there is a lesson to be learnt from all of this.