My advice to my sons...
Concerning himself:
To always be himself, to pursue his own interests, and be willing to invite dating prospects to share in his interests as he himself is wanting or desiring.
To pursue his own education and career goals with clarity, to avoid sacrificing his future happiness and success for instant gratification today.
To decide and have the vision how marriage and relationship and children fit into such desires and goals. Do not be blindsided by love and then caught off guard, always prepare for the prospect and have a plan, even if just the outline of a plan at this young age.
Concerning dating:
Never to pursue dating in and of itself, but only as a means to get to know a special woman better, and for her to get to know him better.
Never as a means to merely score for sex. A good man addicted to sex with many women, is not better than a man addicted to drugs alcohol or gambling. Also this is the way for a man to lose respect for all women, to see all women as those he would find to merely be seeking quick gratification themselves. For it is a fact that we as humans will find what we are looking for, and we will see what we want to see, as we are all masters of self-justification for what we want to justify.
Whether he decides he is wanting a traditional marriage, or marriage to a career woman, he must be honest with himself and his future woman prospective bride on what he is desiring, and to find in such a woman also the honesty to express what she is desiring.
As well I tell my sons to avoid deliberately seeking out a career woman if they are wanting at all to raise children, as relentless are the demands of raising children and how the selfishness men see often in women is in fact the perfect trait for being such an excellent mother. For instead of resentment as often in a man to give up his "toys" when the children come along, it is the strength and delight of a woman to be selfish for her children. This way is what I have experienced to be the best prospect for success.
Concerning his woman:
She must be his good match, not beneath him and needy and clingy, and not so above him beyond contentment with the choice of his lifestyle and social and economic goals and achievements.
She must be intelligent to the point of matching intellectually. Sexual attraction may ebb and flow, but nothing builds contempt as intelligence sharing the same roof with ignorance, and likewise nothing as fulfilling as having a woman to be a life partner to challenge and discuss and grow with intellectually.
She must be willing to speak for herself with dignity and respect. Tantrums, passive aggresive behavior, yelling, or speaking without thinking, or using many words without substance, these are red flags to avoid.
She must not be sexually promiscuous. I am speaking bluntly, but I tell my sons to avoid a young women with already children out of wedlock, or even to discover they are knowing many men sexually, this is also a red flag to avoid. Understand this is not for any religious reasons, but merely social and emotional and scientific and health reasons. I have raised my sons and daughter to be respecting themselves and their bodies, and they should expect to find companionship possessing such respect as well.
Concerning marriage:
This itself is also deserving it's own thread, but open for discussion here.
In this day and age, it is entirely possible for the good man to lose half or more of everything worked for at the whim of his woman wanting a divorce, such as the result of modern "no fault" divorce.
So much is this, to protect himself, it is my inclination to advice my sons to study prenuptial agreements and laws, and whether he advises himself to pursue such course or not, he needs to not be ignorant of the very real and very cold possiblities of divorce and the devastating financial hit.
But contrast this with my own very nostalgic views, if after many years of marriage, and that if a woman is giving to her man the very best years of her life, which in itself is not just some whimsical belief, but the reality, then absolutely should my sons be committed to protecting and taking care of his woman, and never to merely divorce her or leave her unless provoked beyond reconciliation by some behavior or action on her own part and her bearing the responsibility for, only in this case should divorce be the consideration.
On this subject of marriage and prenuptuals, I am admittidly hesitant and would welcome all good men's opinions and advice on this matter.
Concerning children:
Always they are to be regarded and taken care of, no matter what the financial hit or mental or emotional or social stress.
Always be responsible and seeing children are not mere accidents or liabilities, but the very real results of deliberate actions and behaviors and decision made by my son and his woman.
In short, I am advising my sons to own any and all responsibility for their own offspring, and to seek out only women who will respect and appreciate this responsibility as well.