Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MONROE, Michigan — Watch out, ladies — a dashing young gentleman is about to steal your heart.
The catch: He's only 6, and he really only has eyes for the No. 1 woman in his life — his mom.
Once a month, Lyle Drummonds loads up his wallet with hard-earned chore money, puts on a nice shirt and steals his mother — 22-year-old MTV reality star Nikkole Paulun — away for a special "dinner date."
"He opens the door for me, pulls out my chair, talks about his day and asks me how mine was … and even tips the waiter or waitress," Paulun wrote in a Facebook post, which included a picture of her little man counting out money at a restaurant.
Paulun told ABC News the pair began their monthly date tradition four months ago, and she uses the special time with her son to teach him about manners, money management and the importance of treating women with kindness and respect.
"I see so many girls I know get treated badly, and I wanted to make sure my son didn't grow up to be like that," she told ABC. "I suggested we start doing mommy-son dates and he loved the idea, and still does."
In her Facebook post about the dates — which has garnered nearly 3 million likes and 500,000 shares — Paulun points out that the pair agreed on a strict "no electronics" policy during their dinners.
"We put our phone and iPad away (except to take this photo) and sit and talk to each other about our days, things we want to do, etc." she wrote. "I'm teaching him proper table manners and that it's rude to sit on your phone on a date with your mom or anyone else."
Once a month my 6 year old son takes me out on a dinner date. He opens doors for me, pulls out my chair, talks about his...
Posted by Nikkole Paulun on Friday, January 1, 2016
Paulun told ABC her son loves the opportunity to get some one-on-one time with mom, and that the manners lessons seem to be making an impact. She'll often catch Lyle practicing politeness at school or at the store.
"He will ask people who come over questions about their day or their life," she said. "It's so cute."
Paulun said that while the dates are a lot of fun, she takes their meaning very seriously.
"Yes, he is young, but I believe this is something he should learn now," she wrote. "It's never too early to teach your child how to properly respect others, especially women. … Too many men these days have no idea how to treat women or how to take them on a nice date. It's nice to know my son won't be one of them."
