Taming a party boy: Is it worth the battle?
The herculean feat of taming a party boy is not for the faint hearted. And in most cases, it fails miserably.
Think Pamela Anderson’s heart break with Tommy Lee, Christine Brinkley and Billy Joel, and more recently, Katy Perry and Russell Brand – that last one remains to be seen.
The good news is there are a few steps you can take if your very own Robbie Williams needs to smooth out his creases.
Where to start when it comes to taming a party boy?
Firstly think about if this is a task you REALLY want to do. It will be hard work and you can forget the smooth sailing. Ask yourself; “Is he really worth it? Or can I find someone more compatible that already shares my values”. If you have asked yourself all these questions and still want to tame this boy then you are ready to take this on.
Follow the steps below to make this work for you:
Step One: Intervention
Intervention early on in the relationship will increase your success. Timing is everything here, too early and he will run, too late and he is too set in his ways. He will look back at what he has been able to get away with and believes that this will always be the case.
Step Two: Set boundaries
Know what behaviour you will and won’t accept from him. Ne clear and strong, yet supportive of him making the adjustment to your new lifestyle. If this man wants you he will have to work for it. Bad boys love a challenge and he will welcome this test.
Step Three: Communicate and encourage
Talk to him. Don’t whine and try to manipulate him. Asking him to change will backfire. This will have him partying more and obviously have you feeling worse.
Try to understand him. Support him. Offer him solace and understanding by all means, but don’t adopt a my-way-or-the-highway mentality.
All men want acceptance. So many men I speak to always emphasise this. It will make them commit.
Give him an exit strategy. Never make him feel caged up. As they say, if you love someone set them free. If he comes back, he comes back, but at least then you will know he’s there to stay. As fulfilling as it is to say you played a leading hand in changing someone’s life for the better, part of growing up is realising that not everybody is meant to be saved. We are who we are.
Step Four: Be exciting!
Bad boys are often men who didn’t have a lot of love early on in life in their childhood. Be exciting. Show him that there is another way. Bad boys often party because they know no other way. But there is, and it doesn’t involve staying home every weekend playing house.
Get out there and enjoy life. Be adventurous. Try something different. New experiences will allow you both to evolve into better versions of yourselves.
As they say, the hottest fire makes the strongest steel. Follow these steps and you will have a chance at forging a bond that cannot be broken.
