Male call: Let's be grown-ups and nix the three-day rule

Everyone knows about the Three-Day Rule, right?

For those of you who've been out of the dating merry-go-round for a while, believe in arranged marriages or just moved here from the planet Zoltar, here's an explanation of the Three-Day Rule from Dating 101: Guy meets Girl. Guy asks for Girl's phone number. Guy waits three days before calling Girl to ask her out.

While I am sure this was a charming way to woo a lady back in the 20th century, I think the whole concept of the Three-Day Rule is well past its expiration date.

Why?

Well, to start, it's a game. I love football and board games (especially Monopoly, Risk and Twister) as much as the next person. But I think we need to stop playing dating games once we get Grown-Up jobs and lives and a phone that doesn't automatically ring up Bert and Ernie.

Next reason, second thoughts.

Give a woman you don't know 72 hours to think about it, and there's a good chance she'll have second thoughts about A) giving you her number in the first place, or B) answering when you call three days later.

Women have second thoughts about things all the time. (Ladies, you know it's true. I know you returned two of the three pairs of shoes you bought last weekend.)

Having second thoughts about giving our precious digits away to a cute stranger who could be a stalker is normal.

However, here's the most important reason to throw the Three-Day Rule out with your stonewashed jeans from 1987: You snooze, you lose.

Let's say you meet a lovely lady, possibly the woman of your dreams, on a Saturday night. You ask for and get her phone number. You then torture yourself by making yourself wait until Tuesday night to call her. And then you are surprised/disappointed/demoralized to learn she already has plans for the weekend.

In a busy world like ours -- with work, friends, family and the last season of "Lost" -- if you wait three days to call someone, there's a good chance you're going to miss your chance.

So the next time you think about waiting 72 hours to call a lady, be wildly original and call her within 48.

Gina Bever is a local public relations professional and woman-about-town. She's known for providing her friends -- male and female -- with thousands of hours of free therapy and (asked for) relationship advice.

ASK GINA: Send questions about relationships to Gina at malecall@timesfreepress.com.