Is chivalry dead? Are signs of chivalry just a macho man showing off? Do men have a sense of duty to protect their woman?

In the good old days, a man always opened a door for a woman, helped her into the chair, and provided the hankerchief in times of trouble. As women, we’ve made great strides in independence. We’ve lost some of the helplessness of days gone by. Men have learned we are strong enough to open a door, we sit where we want to sit, and we now have Kleenex in our purse.

I personally like a man who takes the extra steps to protect me. Even though my hubs knows I can take care of myself, it makes me feel feminine, loved, and cherished to let him do certain things. While writing on my latest wip about werewolves, I found myself wanting to create the little things that show a man taking care of his woman. That’s what alpha’s do, and I think deep down, women like a man to step up and take up the position of protector.

To draw an idea of what men can do now, I thought up everything my hubs does for me or what I know men do for my friends.

For me, my hubs has to sleep on the side of the bed nearest the bedroom door. Why? He says if anyone breaks into the house, he’ll be between me and the intruder. When we walk on a sidewalk, he walks on my left to keep me away from danger (other people, cars, ect). He’s always been the breadwinner of the family. He doesn’t expect me to do the hard chores like chopping wood, castrating the pigs, dehorning the goats, or changing the oil in the car. He goes to bat for me against anyone…even if I’m wrong, it doesn’t matter. He supports me just because I’m his wife.

I have a friend whose husband doesn’t let her drive alone after dark. If I meet her for a late dinner, he’ll bring her to the restaurant or she’ll make arrangements for me to pick her up because she knows this is important to him. I have a cousin who does not permit anyone to cuss in front of his wife. She cusses like a trucker, but out of respect for his wife, he doesn’t allow it around her.

Chivalry is an old fashioned term, but I still think it is alive and well today. Do you? Do you like men who want to protect or would you prefer them to let you take care of yourself?