Through an informal survey, I have gathered a collection of 13 qualities women find highly attractive in men. Guys, if you want to know what makes us purr, read on.
1.Men who can fix stuff around the house. If you can don a tool belt and actually know how to use the tools that go in it, you are hot. If you can hammer a nail without smashing a finger or fire up a chain saw without cutting off an extremity, you're even hotter.
2.Men who cook. Let me make this clear right off the bat: these meals don't have to be fancy. If you boil pasta, toast some garlic bread and toss salad in a bowl, chances are you're gonna get lucky tonight. If you offer to do the dishes, it's a done deal.
3.Men who clean house. We are not picky. If you scrub floors, that's hot. If you wipe down the kitchen counters, that's hot. If you vacuum, that's hot. If you empty the garbage can, that's hot. If you scoop the litter box, that's hot. Do you get where I'm going with this? We are hot for anything you do that helps us out with the never-ending list of house chores. When I started dating my husband, Eric, one of the first things I noticed is that his toilet was clean. It's not like I studied it with a black light, but I detected no noticeable pee streaks on or around the lid or seat. He probably has no idea how many points that scored him.
4.Men who kill spiders. Enough said.
5.Men who offer massages. My husband began giving me back massages when I was preggers with our son. Though it was the best 10 minutes of my day, I assumed that once I gave birth, those massages would cease. Only they didn't. Eric has continued this ritual, and I can't even fully articulate how loved this nightly gesture makes me feel.
6.Men who follow through. If you say you're gonna pump up the bike tires, drag out the Halloween decorations or change the beeping smoke detector battery and then you actually do it, you're smokin' hot.
7.Men who talk. Communication is sexy. Far sexier than moans, mumbles and monosyllabic grunts.
8.Men who ask for directions. See how #7 comes in handy here? Getting lost is no fun. If you ask for help, that shows us that you, too, realize that getting lost is no fun. Believe me, if you have the courage to admit that you haven't the foggiest idea where you are, that's a one-way ticket to "Hot Town."
9.Men who refer to the kids -- including the step-kids -- as "our kids." The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but the way to a woman's heart is through the children.
10.Men who respect, support and encourage our aspirations and endeavors -- whatever those may be. Life is hard, and we all need cheerleaders, so when you (metaphorically) pick up those pom-poms and tell us that you are proud of us, you make us feel like rock stars.
11.Men who are kind. Sure, there are those girls who like bad boys, but those girls don't count because they have not yet matured enough to appreciate what truly matters in life. And that's kindness, plain and simple.
12.Men who tell us we're beautiful. That just feels good to the ears. And it's kind of like eating chocolate in that it never gets old so feel free to repeat daily.
13.Men who can recover lost computer files. When Eric and I were dating, I was working on a huge project for a boss that had taken me weeks to compile. The night before it was due, the file went "poof" and I proceeded to nearly poof my pants. Although Eric lived 50 miles away and had just worked a full day himself, he showed up at my doorstop that night in full "techie" mode and managed to retrieve my file. Wow, nerds are hot. To this day I don't know how he Houdini-ed that file for me. All I know is that's the day I knew I wanted to marry this man.
Read Christy Heitger-Ewing's award-winning book "Cabin Glory: Amusing Tales of Time Spent at the Family Retreat" (www.cabinglory.com). Visit her author website at http://christyheitger-ewing.com/.