You finally got up the nerve to ask the girl of your dreams on a date. She agrees and you set a date and time to pick her up for your very first date. The big day arrives, and you drive to her house. You pull up in front of the house and honk your horn to let her know that you’re there to pick her up.

At this point you’ve lost any chance of ever getting anywhere with this girl. You’ve shown that you don’t think she is worth the time it takes to park the car and walk to the door. You’ve shown that you have a complete lack of understanding of women, and that you don’t realize that many of them are never ready on time. You’ve shown that you don’t care about meeting any of her family (or roommate, or whoever might be living with her). In short, you’ve shown that you are a jerk.

So if honking is out, what should you do?

First off, try to arrive 5 minutes early. This shows that you are excited about the date and that you are a prompt person. It also prevents you from being late if your clock and her clock don’t match up perfectly. Odds are she won’t be ready when you arrive, but sitting around for 5 or 10 minutes is much better than being late. If you don’t think you are going to make it there on time, call her the moment you realize this with an estimate of when you’ll be there! Giving her as much notice as possible shows that you are a considerate person and will potentially help her relax a little if she, too, is running late.

Once you arrive, park your car, walk to the door, and ring or knock. If someone besides your date answers the door, be sure to smile, introduce yourself, and ask for your date by name. For example, “Hi, I’m Jacob. Is Becca here?” It is likely that your date has mentioned you to the people that she lives with, and if they recognize your name they may give clues as to whether she is excited about or dreading the date.

Be prepared to wait because she might not be ready. Try not to look at your watch. Be prepared to talk to mom and be lectured by dad.

Once she is finally ready, say goodbye to any additional friends or family that you’ve met, and walk with her to the car. Be sure to open the car door for her! This may make her (and you) a little uncomfortable at first, but she’ll really enjoy it.

And last but not least, have fun!