Here’ the safety checklist I recommend you check before you sleep with him to make sure you manage the expectations of your new love interest:
1. GET TO KNOW HIM FIRST
Before you sleep with him you should make sure you can answer the following things about him. His middle name, how many siblings he has, and at least 3 of his friend’s names. I don’t suggest you ask him these questions directly either. That would mean you are cheating. You need to have spent enough time with him to be able to get this information off him without soliciting the info to be able to say you have had sufficient conversation and time with him and that he has opened up about himself to you. He should be able to tell you the same about yourself and then you know you are on your way to becoming friends with this person.
2. MEET HIS FRIENDS
Have you met any of his friends yet and by meeting them I mean spent time with him and his friends in a social setting. Observe what kind of friends he keeps – don’t forget our friends are a reflection of who we are. Also, notice how he interacts with them. It’s a good indication of how he manages his relationships with people.
3. FAMILY TIES
It would be great to see him in his family setting and see how he treats his parents and siblings. Even if he does not take you to meet his family yet try and observe how he treats his family members especially his mother. Is he kind, considerate or rude to them? Watch and learn, it’s a preview of how he will eventually treat you.
4. THE HELP
How people treat people who serve them is very insightful to what sort of people they are (you may have to give some leeway to this rule if you are observing interactions with Nigerian waiters, drivers, or maids who only comply with abuse). If your man seems to be unnecessarily rude to service people or people he considers beneath himself again it’s a preview of the treatment that awaits you.
5. HAVE BRAIN SEX FIRST
After a while when physical attraction starts to fade in your relationship you are going to have to have a lot of brain sex with your partner to make sure you remain on the same page. So check out your intellectual compatibility before you jump into the sex with this person. There is no point in sleeping with someone whose grammar, political views, or sense of reasoning is on another planet from yours.
6. HAVE AN ARGUMENT
I’m not advising you to go around picking fights with your intended before you sleep with him but it would really help you know what sort of person you are considering sleeping with if you are able to see how they handle arguments. Arguments are not pleasant but if you are with someone who has a good ability to resolve issues and not fight dirty I think you are onto a good start.
7. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT?
‘WHAT DO YOU WANT?’ most important question in life. What do you want? If you identify what you want and not lose sight of your desired outcome I assure you that you will be more strategic about how you go about getting it. Decide upfront what you want from this “friend-relationship” and figure out what he wants. Don’t ask him what he wants chances are that he will either tell you what you want to hear but may not mean or tell you what you don’t want to hear! Study him, does he ask you out on dates, call you regularly and consistently, invite you to go to events with him? If so he is probably in the market for a girlfriend. If on the other hand he does not want to account for his time, is too busy and only sees you at his convenience then I think it’s fair to file this guy under ‘fun and free’ and it’s up to you to decide if you want to sleep with someone who only wants a causal relationship.
8. MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY STABLE
Yeah, I know … the sharp increase in single, suited and stark raving madmen out there is alarming…. but the longer you take to know him before you sleep with them the better your chances of not catching any PSTDs (psychological stressfully transmitted diseases)!
9. YOU CALL THE SHOTS
When and if you decide to sleep with him, you should totally be your decision. Don’t feel pressured, manipulated, or bullied into sleeping with him. If he is a man worth your time and body by now he should have gotten you to a place where you can’t give it up. If he is not then he will make it a chore that you feel you need to do just to move the relationship to the next level. Don’t fall for it. In my experience, the men that rush women to have sex with them are men who have nothing to offer and they need to rush you into sleeping with them before you realize he has nothing worthwhile to offer you!
10. BE SAFE
Make sure you have protected sex. The most common type of protected sex is with a condom and its good practice to always use one. The other way to protect yourself when you have sex is to have a ‘no camera or camcorder policy’. Don’t let anyone trick you into spicing things up with a camera or recorder – it will only end in tears!