Putting Him Down Gently

It's not his fault, he's a great guy. You love the friendship that you guys share. But, you just don't like him like that. Bless his little heart. So what do you say to let him down easy? Well there is no real "easy way", but there are a few ways you can go about it. But before we get into that, there's something most women need to understand about most men who are REALLY into you. Keep in mind, I'm talking about your male friends, not some guy you met at the club or bar.  Let's take this example to start with:

She says: "You know, I just think that I'd like to be single right now. "
He says: "Oh okay."
He's Thinking: "Oh right now?...that's cool...I'll just try again tomorrow."

She says: "I'm just not trying to date at the moment."
He says: "Oh okay."
He's Thinking: "She just doesn't want to date other people...that has NOTHING to do with me."

She says: "I enjoy spending time with you. You're real cool, a good person, but right now, I'm not interested in being anything more than friends."
He says: "Oh okay".
He's Thinking: "She thinks I'm cool and great!"

The main thing you have to realize is that they will hear what they want when it comes to getting a chance with you. Some believe that you have to be blunt and harsh when addressing men for them to get the point. However, as someone who has many female friends, (and as one who's been let down the right way) I can tell you that being harsh or blunt is not necessary. Due to the fact that women think differently than men do, you cannot tell a man something that you would accept if you were in his shoes. Women are more understanding to vague comments because they are more prone to reading between the lines compared to men, in my opinion. So when addressing this guy the only thing you need to remember is to be SPECIFIC. Not blunt... Not mean... just very specific so that there's no room for confusion. You do not want to give him any wiggle room. So let's take the example again with this in mind.

She says: You know, DANNY, I really value our friendship and I really would like to keep things the way they are. I do not want to mess up what we have, DANNY, and I know that if you're my friend, and if you care about our relationship, you'll respect that, DANNY.
He says: "Okay...."
He's Thinking: "Damn"

Notice there was no mention of "right now" or "for a while". This leaves him only to believe that what you're saying is now indefinite. By bringing up the issue of respect and saying "if you're my friend", you have now held him accountable for the feelings he claims he has for you. This puts him in a position to actually act on those feelings, without being a hypocrite. It's a dirty little trick, but it works in most cases. No one likes to be a hypocrite, especially when they dug their own grave from the very start.

Wait. You said what? He still can't take a hint? Seriously? Well, looks like we gotta put him in the Dreaded Friend Zone. (Enter Dramatic music)

Check out the following blog "Dreaded Zone: The Friend Zone"