In addition to being a world-renowned comedian, talk show host, philanthropist, husband and father, Steve Harvey is the Chief Love Officer of online dating site Delightful. He draws on his personal experiences and the stories that millions of people have shared with him over the years to help more people find and keep the love they deserve.
I think we can all agree our phones are just a little too entertaining these days. It can be tough to put the tech down and be in the moment, even when we're spending time with the ones we love.
Still, I bet you don't have as hard a time minding your manners as your man does. If your new dude is on his phone too much, you have every right to get annoyed. After all, you're so much cuter and more interesting than some beeping brick. If he needs reminding, here are a few things you can try.
Tease him. Most people know they have a slight problem with phone addiction, so you may just need to joke about it to remind him he's falling out of line. You can try asking if he's enjoying the date with his phone, or threaten to dunk it in his water glass. Chances are good he'll get the point and put away the offending hardware.
You can also send him a text and remind him you're in the same room, but you won't be for long if he doesn't stop checking his email.
Level with him. If teasing isn't working, you may have to come out and tell him that his phone habits are rude and you're not happy about it. You can use a gentle tone and explain that you know work emergencies will come up, but the constant texting is ruining the vibe between you two.
It's hard to feel appreciated when your man can't maintain eye contact for more than half a second. Make a pact to take a walk and leave your phones behind, and have a conversation about some rules you can both accept for phone use when you're together. A few excellent guidelines? No phones at meals or during movies.
Make some weekend plans in a remote locale. One way to break a man of a serious phone addiction is the cold turkey approach. Find a cute cabin in the woods to rent or make a plan to go sailing. By getting as far away from a cell tower as possible, you'll force him to notice the world for a change. He might even like it.
Give him a dose of his own medicine. If your man is rudely ignoring you in favor of his phone, turn the tables and do the same thing to him. He won't like it when you refuse to look at him for an entire evening. For this to work, you have to take things to an absurd level. Get silly with it to make your point, and hopefully you'll both turn over a new leaf when it comes to tech habits.
Enchant him. Your man has fallen down the iPhone rabbit hole and you're starting to worry he'll never come up for air. It might be time to help him snap out of it with sexy outfit or funny story. By mixing it up, you'll remind him why you're dating in the first place and his phone will become a distant memory.
Your man understands that he only gets to enjoy your feminine wiles and romantic attention when he treats you will respect...right?
Leave him alone with his phone. For good. If your guy won't change his tech-addicted ways despite all of your efforts, kick him to the curb. You deserve a man with good manners, and that extends to his behavior with his phone. If you do decide to dump Mr. Wrong for failing to look up once in a while, no one would blame you for doing so in an email.
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