resolution: be a man

At one time, I was one of two tad-older members of a group of relatively young people. The other elder took care of everyone: counseled, fed, drove. When time came for her departure, some looked to me to fill her soccer mom shoes.

"I don't do mom," I clarified. "But I can be your hard-ass, emotionally distant father figure."

In typical egomaniacal fashion, I've long considered myself to be more of a man than most boys I know. (Uh... present readers excluded, of course.) So I've fallen head over heels with this online guide to manliness. It contains such practical gems as "How to Give and Take Criticism Like a Man" and "How to End a Relationship Like a Man." Some of the tips (ex. "always end it in person"), as painfully obvious as warning label attached to consumer products (ex. "do not set tree on fire"), make clear that while certain instructions are male-specific, most fall in the more general category of "How to Behave Like a Grown Person."

I resolve to work on my "manliness" in the coming year, to be more of a considerate adult who exercises common sense and decency. Or, at the very least, to avoid bursting into tears and throwing up in response to criticism.