Understanding the Opposite Sex: A Big Part of Life

It seems like there’s a great gap between the sexes as to how they look at the world and respond to it.

Some of the most popular questions I get on my radio show, Dawson McAllister Live, are from girls wondering what’s going on inside the heart of a guy, or guys wondering the same about girls. It seems like there’s a great gap between the sexes as to how they look at the world and respond to it. This is especially true when it comes to relationships. Many a girl/woman has spent countless hours trying to figure it all out – what’s going on in the heart and soul of a guy. While guys tend not to be quite as relationship oriented, they can also be mystified, confused, and even lost, trying to figure out what makes a girl/woman tick.

Many a guy has professed to be totally in the dark in dealing with women. They ask a simple question – how can I relate to a woman in a meaningful way, when I do not even understand her? How many girls have quietly sung along with the hit song, “If I Were A Boy” by Beyonce? “If I were a boy, I think I could understand how it feels to love a girl. I swear I’d be a better man. I’d listen to her, ‘cause I know how it hurts when you lose the one you wanted ‘cause he’s taking you for granted and everything you had got destroyed. But you’re just a boy, you don’t understand how it feels to love a girl. Someday you’ll wish you were a better man.”

While guys tend not to be quite as relationship oriented, they can also be mystified, confused, and even lost, trying to figure out what makes a girl/woman tick.

One can clearly feel the hurt, confusion, and frustration of the person singing this song. Her frustration is real. She longs for a man to think and feel like her, and to really understand. But unfortunately, it seldom seems to happen.

Years ago there was a very popular movie musical called “Camelot.” In it, King Arthur asked the question, “How do you handle a woman?” That is the cry of many a guy. In the movie, his answer came in a song called “How To Handle a Woman.” He sang, “How to handle a woman? There's a way,” said the wise old man, “A way known by ev’ry woman since the whole rigmarole began.” “Do I flatter her?” I begged him answer. “Do I threaten or cajole or plead? Do I brood or play the gay romancer?” Said he, smiling: “No indeed. How to handle a woman? Mark me well, I will tell you, sir: The way to handle a woman is to love her...simply love her...Merely love her...love her...love her.”

There are literally millions of people who do not understand themselves, much less their God. This leads them to needless hurt and confusion.

Someone once said, “If you want to be happy, know yourself and know your God.” How true that is. There are literally millions of people who do not understand themselves, much less their God. This leads them to needless hurt and confusion. But it is equally important to understand those of the opposite sex. Let’s face it – you will no doubt spend countless hours with someone from the opposite sex. The more you know about how guys or girls think, the happier you will be. And so let us go on a great adventure and try to learn as much as possible why people from the opposite sex think and do what they do. This will be a challenging task, but well worth the effort.

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What is the most pressing question about the opposite sex you have always wanted to get an answer to? I am guessing there are at least 50 questions that need to be answered on this subject. I need to hear from you. This is a chance for you to get answers to questions you have not been able to get so far. Comment to me below, and with God’s help, I will seek to answer all your questions. So come along and join me in figuring out the answers to these 50 questions.


Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:44:29 PM
hey dawson!.. soo... i have this "friend" me and him have been known each other for about a year already and we liked each other at the beggining.. but then the relationship changed and we became best friends because he had a girlfriend, so a few months ago we started sleeping together and acting as if we were dating.. and we are not!.. like i mean he likes me he knows he can fall for me if we start dating and he would just not ask me out!.. eventhou he knows [and everyone else] that i still like him.. so dawson PLEASEE help! <3 AWESOME SHOW. I LOVE YOU!. THANX!
- alex<3

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:42:41 PM
Why do guys get so jealous?
- Rissa

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:37:50 PM
how do you tell a friend (guy) that you like him and have feelings for him without completly ruining the friendship??
- Kyla

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:37:00 PM
WOW! My question is..... what am I doing wrong? I'm not a drop dead gorgeous girl like people say. I'm a human. I really haven't had many serious relationships, but I don't really care about that. I want to know why guys can't just be friends. I wanna be that girl they can turn to for support. not sexual or anything, but I wanna be able to talk without them being all... "let's have sex". I'm in college so I'm not ready to settle down, but I kinda want a solid relationship with somebody before we get married. Call me crazy. It seems as though I'm too mature for my age, because lately I've been attracting men in their 30's and 40's, and I'm only 19. Please give me some advice.
- Kacie

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:35:20 PM
hi! its a nice site!
- martin

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:33:36 PM
u don't REALLY know wat i guy wants from us girls cuz all the guys think of is sex that is all.
- jamie h.

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:23:12 PM
when does a guy know when he's in love?
- Michelle

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 7:21:27 PM
how can you tell a girl your feelings with a low risk of ending a good friendship? ive been pretty bad about that and would like to know thanks dawson you rock =D
- alex

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 5:30:39 PM
to kelsey- dont change appearance for a guy...if you change your looks do it for yourself only...express and be yourself...its the only way to get a guy that likes you for you...its not worth a bad relationship and personally its the ability to ignore peer pressure...im 16 and see looks 2nd...but im a gentleman but there arent many of us
-

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 5:28:23 PM
what do guys like in a girl that they want to consider being their girlfriend?
- Krysta

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 5:27:22 PM
Why do women expect you to understand and care about their problems when and you say that you do but it isn't enough? My girlfriend says that she hears me say that i do but she doesn't necessarily believe me. She says that i have to show it but how? I listen to her and tell her about my problems so how is that not caring?
- Tony

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 2:06:53 PM
like 8 weeks ago my brother said one of his friends figured out i like this guy and my brother told him he was right and my brothers friend went and told the guy i like. but the guy i like still talks to me when every other boy my brother told them that i like them are like scared of me (they won't talk to me and avoid me at all cost) so does that mean he likes me or something else?!?
- anonymous

Thursday, Jan 22, 2009 - 2:06:22 PM
Dawson! HU. I got a note from this boy that I really like. It said he loves me but I found out that it was sorta a trick. He said he meant it but U can't be sure. Then I got another note that said he wanted to go out with me and that he really does love me! I don't know what to do should I say yes? Did he really mean it? I am so confused!
- TMB (BELLA)

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009 - 12:22:43 AM
How do you know what a guy REALLY wants from a girl?
- Megan

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009 - 12:09:34 AM
i have liked this guy for about 3 yrs now but we are just "friends"... he has a girlfriend now and says he is going to marry her and they are gonna get engaged yet he keeps asking me for naked pics and keeps asking me to have sex with him. if he is so in love with her then why is he willing to risk it all on one moment. He wont date me... he has made that obvious! so why risk a relationship on me, someone he never wants to be with???? im so confused
- Bre

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009 - 12:08:50 AM
theres this guy that i like and he knows that i do. he told me that he has feelings for me but the only reason why we're not together is because of his past experience with other girls. how could i break that from him?
- Renee

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 11:23:29 PM
My question is, can girls really say they want to be love when they always go for the guy thats more physically attractive then the other guy with the most attractive heart?
- Joseph S.

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 9:26:07 PM
y r guys so obsessed w/ sex specially when they know ur a virgin?
- bre

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 9:02:44 PM
my question is how do u know if a guy likes u,cuz so many times i have been led on and then nothing,nothing ever happend,i like this guy a lot and sometimes it seems like he likes me to,but other times it looks like he really like my best friends,idk if i should make the first move or something,but i really dont think girls should be the one to make the first move,the guy should kinda know that the girl is liking him,it just seems like he doesnt care,like he doesnt care if i like him or not.i have a lot of guy friends,and i always ask them,but they always seem to tell me the same thing,that they dont understand girls at all,i guess we can be complicating sometimes,but if we seem to be acting dificult that means we want u to be more foused on us,i just dont know what to do im so confused on how guys minds think, if they r looking for thin,fat,medium,smart,dumb,blond,brunet ,ect...cuz all the guys i have been out with always want different things ad i just cant be what they want me to be,and then just dump me...so right now im kinda giving up on guys,cuz its just to hard trying to figure them out -Marisol
- marisol

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 8:15:52 PM
I like to consider myself a friendly guy who likes to talk with others. If I was talking to a girl, other girls ask me if I have a crush on the girl. I have a girlfriend who I really like, and I do not want to create any bad impressions, so my question is what do girls consider as flirting?
- Vamsi

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 7:13:29 PM
Hey, I'm in 8th grade and I've never had a boyfriend or anyone that I know of to like me. I don't know what to think. My mom once said that it is because they are just scared to ask me out or something. I'm not sure. I have no idea if they just think that I am ugly, rude, or what. I don't know what to think.
- Sam

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 2:20:42 PM
Why do guys say they will call but end up not calling? Is the excuse he forgot a good excuse or just a way of saying they don't care about you?
- Ashley

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 2:32:00 AM
my question is y when u kno a guy likes u and that guys knows he like u then y does it take so long for them to make the first move??
- riah

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 1:45:39 AM
Ok man theres this girl and we have been frineds for a while and i use to like her but she blew me off but now when we talk she always like i love u and stuff and im just like i gave u a chance and u threw it away what are u doin.. whats your advice on the situtaion
- Zach

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 1:44:40 AM
How can you tell if a girl wants to be more than a friend if she doesn't ask..
- Jared

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 1:18:34 AM
Why is it so hard for guys to understand it is a big deal when our (women) feelings get hurt? and why do they always not understand how we feel when we are sitting here trying to explain it to them?!
- Nicole-Marie

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009 - 1:01:26 AM
Ok so my complicated situation. my question is whether or not i should stay with the person im not really with. heres the explination. we dated for a year and a half and we became each others best friends. we ended it because we decided after graduation that we were too young to settle down. after we broke up we both saw each other with other people and stoped talking for 5 months then we became close again but didnt get back together. we moved in together and he has brought girls home. (we have a 2 bdrm place). he stopped that soon after it started but he still tells me he loves me and he is going to marry me just not til were 25ish. i dont want to marry him yet i just want to be with him. he doesnt want to be together and in august hes moving to cali which is on the opposite side of the country from where we are now. we talked about me moving with him and it didnt go well he wanted me to go but still not be with him just as a friend but that is a long way to go to get heartbroken and have to come back home ya know. he got mad cause i said those exact words to him and decided he doesnt want me to move but still says well were going to be together later but how do i know hes been sincere? he only shows affection when he thinks i need it or when i suprise him? how do i know that he isnt just saying this to keep me around because i am his best friend and he is scared of losing just and only that his best friend not his love??
- Ashley

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 10:19:39 PM
I'm dating a Latino male from Guatamala, but he says that he doesn't want to call it dating. I asked him several times what he's meant by that, but he can't explain it. What would you call it? We've been seeing each other since July 2008. He always tells me that Guatemalan men are so different from American men, Guatemalans are very attached to there families-not like Americans, there are some things that I may not understand. Sometimes I feel that he is pushing me away, but he says that he is just warning me. What do you think about this situation?
- april

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 7:44:27 PM
This happened to me once, and more often to my friends. They're with a guy, and then the guy leaves them for another girl. Also happens in viser versa too. When this happens to my friends, and when over hearing other girls, they're extrememly upset. I really don't get why they are so upset. Often I ask them if they could see themself and the guy actually going as far in there relationship as marrage. More than not I get no... So, here's my question to shoot out at everyone. If you really don't love a guy/girl so much as to get married and have kids, then why the fuss that they dumped you for another person? Personally, when this happened to me, I was quite upset that he lied about it to me, but I was glad that he was able to find someone that he could see a future with. This was 2 years ago and we still talk today. I don't know about others, but, I do know that I don't want to be with whom I'm not right for or isn't right for me.
- Jen

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 4:18:27 PM
I know alot about girls because i have alot of friends that are girls. I also know they are ALL different.So i was just wondering, how can you be friends with a girl who knows you like her without it being akward? I just can't seem to do it. I'm friends with alot of her friends but i just can't.
- Austin E

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 12:46:19 PM
my question is why do some girls say that they are fat or ugly when they truely arent? i think most of time they are looking for attention but sometimes its not. you think you could explain why they say there things about themselfs?
- max

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 2:02:26 AM
dear Dawson, i am wondering why the guy i like sends me mix signs. first it seems like he wants to date. then it seems like he don't want to date. what does he want to do?
- Tabatha

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 2:02:07 AM
Hey Dawson, I have a question for you. What if you have a crush on someone of the same sex, but they really don't think the same of you. She's my best friend and I really don't want to make things wierd but I want to tell her about how I feel. I feel like I'm lying to her by not telling her and I dont want all this to ruin our friendship. She also has a boyfriend. What should I do?
- Nina

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 1:46:17 AM
I'm glad that you put that blog up. It really helped me with some things that I was wondering about. I'm also, listening to your show right now.
- Nina

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 1:20:03 AM
I feel as if i have given up on guys. It sucks not being able to know what they are thinking, and when you think you have figured it all out, most of the time your wrong. We believe its so easy to say the truth and how us girls feel, so why cant a guy do the same? Why is it so hard for a guy to tell a girl how he feels or what is going on in his head? I ask questions to everyone because thats the way i learn things. and im just a little too open about things. but it shouldnt be that hard. help?
- Rebecca

Monday, Jan 19, 2009 - 1:02:57 AM
It seems that there will never be a way for a man to understand a woman,cause being a girl i know that i will never understand a man there are so many differences between us.Our minds work in opposite directions we think different,we wont different,and we run a relationship different.
- avonlea

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 11:28:41 PM
Why does a guy that likes you spent time with you buy yet not to show how he feels.
- Alice

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 11:27:59 PM
About understanding a girl, I've found the best thing to do is to understand that you don't understand her. Because in most situations, you really don't.
- Jeff

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 10:41:26 PM
i mostly understand guys..but sometimes i dont. the only thing i dont understand, is how they dont understand us.. but they dont look into things as deeply as we do. its not really there fault and sometimes its a good thing.. but it sometimes hurts the people around you. so its good and bad. we just need to find the balance. thanks! -mia
- -mia

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 10:20:37 PM
Well, I was listening to Focus on the family this week and I heard a broadcast on child prostitution, while the guest had alot to say, one thing that struck me is she said that girls in strip clubs (which I have never been to nor will I) Do not want to be up there doing there thing. I was perplexed by that because as I battle my flesh and try to keep my eyes on what is pure and good... I see girls dressing in aweful manners at one momment, then complaining that guys are superficial the next... Its weird. But course I will work to keep my eyes and mind on what is pure and good no matter what. :)
- Michael S.

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 10:08:45 PM
HOw can you tell if a girl likes you as a friend or more then a friend before you ask them and it changes your friendship between you to?
- Garrett

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 10:00:13 PM
Thanks For Posting The Blog Dawson Im Listening To Your Show Right Now.
- Tiffany

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 9:30:24 PM
Hey Dawson. i was wondering why boyfriends flirt with other girls behind their girlfriend's back?
- Erin

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 9:10:03 PM
Hey Dawson, what's up? My names miranda an Ummmm so I like listen to dm live every Sunday and I think your great Dawson I really do but NE who well my real question about the opposite sex is what exactly do they think about and look for when you FIRST meet them? I wonder all the time and I try to read their faces but what really god on in there heads Dawson? Well that's my question so thanx alot. -Miranda
- Miranda

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 8:34:01 PM
i try to understand guys but most of the time i end up with even more questions. how can i tell if i am pushing a guy away? sometimes it seems like this one guy likes me but when he is around other people he doesnt realy talk to me. does he like me and he just doesnt want people to know? and how will iknow if he likes me?
- lucy

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 8:08:25 PM
My question is, why do (most) guys feel the need to have to brag about the girl they are with, their sexual reelationship with her, ect.? My other question is, why do guys not show thier feelings for girls as much as girls show for guys? It's very confusing. Thanks, Tiana J
- Tiana J

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 3:50:18 PM
I think that we'll never be fully able to understand the opposite sex completely because of multiple reasons. First, you have about a million personalities out there and with those personalities comes individuality. On some scale, I believe we are all alike in some ways of our thinking, but I think there's more to it than just saying "here's what guys/girls think like..." You have so much to deal with than just what they think like. Take girls for example...our emotions can go off in a second if we have a million other things going on and the cycle of life. Then, guys can have a bad day too. Like I said though, I think on some level, we'll all act like people would most likely think we'd act, but that isn't always the case. Thanks for listening, and I wish the best luck for you and your blog!
- Kayla

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 3:49:39 PM
my friend has been beting me up for a jersey that my anunt has goten for me and i don't whant her to be mad at me or get her in trouble
- rachell

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 2:56:03 PM
My question is..."Why do guys act weird around you when they like you?" ~Chrissie
- Chrissie

Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 1:02:40 AM
My biggest question about guys is why can't they be honest about their feelings and communicate them the way girls do?
- Jamie Ann

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 11:41:22 PM
Here is a question that all people may or may not have already asked. What is the true difference between a woman and a man? If we took one day to explore each other, what could happen? Will we finally understand what love is by doing this?
- Daquan J.

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 10:46:59 PM
as nice as this blog was it still fails to answer what i think was the real question behind it....why do some people never manage to fit into the dating circle? these are the people that seem to be everyone's friend and if you were to descirbe them to someone, they would say "wow, sounds like a great guy/girl." why is it that these great people never seem to find the person that truly cares about them, when are the people that don't even seem to put value into their relationships get whoever they want? this comes from a guy (age 16) that has only had one girlfriend and the hopes of getting another seem bleak at currently. he gets upset when he sees people (one guy in particular - grrr) that seem to have a new bf/gr every month, when to be honest they probably shouldnt have ever had one to begin with because all they want out of the 'relationship' is what they can get. -A lonely aggravated guy
- Justin

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 10:12:31 PM
I just sometimes dont understand anythinga about girls/woman because my sisters treat me horribly and it's hard to tell if a girl likes you....and the part for the "/woman" I just sometimes dont understand my mom because when I tell her the turth she just tells me to stop lieing or accuse me of lieing so I just have to lie (by telling her what she wants to hear) and ugh it's just so hard!!!
- Cody Y

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 7:37:27 PM
It's so funny, I was thinking about this when I came across this post on Facebook. But anyway, when a guy you really like tells you "no" when you ask him if you're being too obsessive towards him, what does that mean?
- Maria

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 5:59:37 PM
Before My gf and I broke up about a few months ago i always listened to her and always tried to help. but after being freinds for 3 yrs and we only dated for 2 weeks, and pretty much the second week she backstabbed me and knocked me down after i built her up for 3 yrs after all the bad Bfs she had and all the defending i have done. i know most guys arent good in listening but most girls dont pick the right guys they always go after the "studs" which ends up hurting them and then they think all guys are bad which is completely wrong. but after my ex i dont think all girls are bad. just i am confused on wat love is now. She pretty much used me as a tool for 3 yrs.
- Wes S.

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 4:04:44 PM
My question is... how come it is after I tell a girl that I like her, and she says that she likes me, that she no longer seems to want to speak to me? this has happened on multiple occasions...
- Jake S.

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 1:58:10 PM
My question is: what would be the best time to make the first move?
- Zach

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 12:11:24 PM
Its always seem that when guys 'I love you' to a girl it just seems that their just saying it like they really don't mean it.. I wonder if thats all guys ever think if 'I say this do a girl she'll do this for me.' My main question is will guys ever mean I love you when they actually say it?
- Rejeanna

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 10:48:46 AM
Just one thing..how can a guy say one thing and do another so often/break promises? Like saying he loves you, but then putting you down. Or saying he'll call, but he doesn't. Or saying he's sorry, but not meaning it. I wonder so much about what goes on in their heads...
- Brooke

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 9:54:33 AM
ladies- ive read through a lot of the comments on last weeks blog and noticed that many consider "giving up" on guys...DONT!!!! im not gonna say all guys are gentlemen because theyre not...but there are some of us in this world who are worth your time the hard part is finding us also a question-i also hear "giving up on guys" from some of my girl friends after they get out of a bad relationship and within a week ask if they should get back with the guy so is there some hidden meaning in there or what?
-

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 8:51:30 AM
Here is a question. Why do women expect us men to read their body language or expecting us to figure out what they are thinking instead of comming out and saying directly what they want?
- aaron

Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 - 1:14:14 AM
Here's a question 4 the guys... What is the most attractive quality in a girl, like on the inside, not like looks or anything. Also, at what age do they start looking 4 a relationship not revolved around physical affection. Is short hair or long hair more attractive? what color? Do you care how girls dress? How do you show you like a girl?
- Kelsey

Friday, Jan 16, 2009 - 11:23:27 PM
My question is this: What is it that presses a guy to look so hard for physical attributes in a girl? What makes a guy lead a girl on and, when the girl starts talking about going steady, the guy says no because she's not pretty enough? No girl should ever have to hear that from any guy, and yet I've heard it from three. I've heard many people say that guys do that because they're insecure; I'm not quite sure I believe that anymore.
- Courtney L.

Friday, Jan 16, 2009 - 11:13:57 PM
ok me and my bf broke like a little over a month ago and we still like each orther but he cares bout his orther ex gf and i wanna know how to get him but idk what he thinking or wants cuz we talked bout it last night and it agraves me to no end cuz i relly care bout him and i dont wanna see him hurt
- kierra

Friday, Jan 16, 2009 - 10:24:43 PM
What is the most pressing question about the opposite sex you have always wanted to get an answer to? How can a guy that says he loves me so much and wants to make me happy not beable to open up to me and communicate with me when that alone would make me SOO HAPPY!
- Amy G M.