Today, you guys are going to settle an argument for me. It is my position that men should say the powerful words "I love you" first. Men have a harder time saying those words than women do. More than that, a woman can feel that she loves a guy, but if the guy doesn't feel it and/or won't say it, the relationship is doomed anyway and a woman is wasting her breath. In addition, men are conquerors. A woman saying the words first takes all the sport out of the hunt, draining the guy of positive feelings he might have.

A friend believes that women should say the words first because a guy saying them will scare her off. Because the words mean so much to a guy, a woman should say them first because it shows she is comfortable with the idea. A guy isn't bothered by the words as much.

Of course, I disagree for the stated reasons above. Plus this: a guy who says "I love you" on Date #1 or 2 is often trying to get into a girl's pants and that's a whole different kettle of fish. Even then, the words aren't scary--they're revealing and can be amusing. What's scary is so many women buy the words in that situation, but that's a problem for a different day.

Then there is this: Who should say the words first? We all have theories, but practice is what counts. Who actually does say them first? So what do you think?

Cross-posted at MelissaClouthier.com