Evening star., 1941-02-11

dIl ONC4 lllC IOullllS. SIlC NLIICS'
Recently I've run into a prob
lem which I've never faced before.
and therefore can't handle It's the
problem of the boy who wants to
pet and won't take no for an
answer
I'm freshman in college. rather
young. and therefore inexperienced.
In high school the boys I dated
rarely tried that sort of thing.
could always stop those who did by
being gay and f1ippant and kidding
them out Of it, or by just saying
No or Please, no
Il heard girls talking about boys
they couldn't handle, but thought
those boys must be just not nice,
and that it was the girls own fault
for going out with them. But here
in college l have found that l was
wrong in the assumption. I have
met boys who are nice, but who
want to pet and who can't be
laughed or talked out of it.
Trying desperately to make them
stop, I always say something baby
ish, silly, old-fashioned or prudish.
Just can't handle them. They
are nice, interesting and intelligent.
and I would like to continue to
date them If l only knew how to
deal with this problem.
The percentage of boys whose
purpose in taking girls out seems
to be to see what they can get
away with is alarming There seems
to be scarcely any who are inter-
ested in us for any other reason.
No kidding!
You may think there is some
thing about my conduct which leads
the boys on, but 1 honestly think
there isn't, Having always heard
that boys will act as the girl does,
I have examined my behavior for
signs of vulgarity. cheapneSs. or lax
ity, and l honestly believe there
are none.
L have tried to explain my rea-
sons for not wanting to pet to some
of these boys-the chief of those
reasons being that I want those
things to mean something to me.
But it always sounds silly and prissy,
and I inwardly suspect that the
boys are laughing at me.
What can + do to keep them
from petting, and still keep them
asking me out?''
Your chief difficulty, Gladys, re-
suits from the fact that right now
you are playing the dating game
In faster league than you've ever
| known before. You're like a high
school football star running up
against bunch of college athletes.
Temporarily, you're out of your class.
But cheer up-time will correct
that situation. The boys now dat
ing you are older and more ex-
perienced than you are. Naturally,
they have learned most of the argu-
ments and the answers with which
the fellows in high school weren't
I quite so familiar. BY next year,
you'll be more on a par with these
collegians. both in age and expert
ence. And you'll be able to handle
most of them, just as you could
deal with your nigh school dates.
One of the favorite indoor-and
outdoor-sports of many campus
Romeos is to try out all the attrac-
tive freshman co-eds, to see just
how responsive they are to romantic
advances.
On your reactions to these first
experimental passes" will depend
your future date rating on the
campus. You might become known
as Sweet but no dice" Dumb but
stubborn" "A swell dance date but
she says no and means it," "Rea-
sonable, if she really likes you,"
Just pushover," etc.
Keep this rating system in mind
when you are out with these talent
scouts. Try to imagine what's going
to be said about you when your name
comes up in the next fraternity
house bull session., And remember
that, human nature being what it
is, boys prize most things which are
hardest to get. Certainly the ulti-
mate results of being rated Sweet
but no dice" are whole lot more