No matter how young or old, men can be hard to figure out when it comes to their feelings. If you have been dating or spending time with a man you have feelings for, it's important to know or get a sense of how he feels about you to avoid wasting your time. While you don't want to interrogate him about it, take notice of his words and actions toward you, both in public and in private. That will tell you all you need to know about his feelings.

One of the clearest signs that a man genuinely cares about you is if he goes out of his way to see you and makes room in his schedule to spend time with you. For example, the guy who drives an hour after work in the opposite direction of his place for the chance to have dinner with you is clearly into you. If he brings you soup during his lunch break when you are home sick, he definitely cares. Another telltale sign that he's falling for you is if he is willing to do things with you that he's not really interested in, such as taking you to see a musical even though he detests them or turning down a football party with his buddies to take a cooking class with you.

When a man is not that into you, he'll hardly pay attention when you are talking to him about things going on in your life and he'll be a stone wall when you try to get him to open up. A man who cares about you and is falling for you will listen and remember what you tell him. He will show concern, try to find ways to help you and follow up with you on things you've mentioned. He'll also be more eager to open up to you, ask your opinion and seek your advice about issues he may be dealing with. On the other hand, if he seeks your advice, but calls you "buddy," "pal" or "friend" when you talk, he may care about you, but just as a friend he can talk to.

A guy who cares about you will hold your hand or wrap his arm around you in public without hesitation. Not only is he showing care and protectiveness, being affectionate in public shows that your guy is proud to be seen with you and to have you in his life. If he kisses you randomly on the forehead or your shoulder, gazes at you often with a goofy smile and only seems to notice you in a room full of other women, it's a good sign he not only cares but is falling hard for you. Other signs include sending you sweet text messages or calling you in the middle of the day just to say, "Hey."

A guy who really cares for you will not just tell his closest friends about you, his folks will know he's dating someone special, too. He might talk on the phone with his mom and mention you a couple of times. He'll be eager to have you meet and like his friends, and he'll be anxious for them to like you, too. If his friends or family members who meet you say things such as, "So nice to finally meet you!" you know that he's been talking about you for a while. He most certainly cares.

A man who cares about you wants to make you smile and laugh all the time. He may give you gifts but not just any gift. A guy who cares will know your likes and dislikes, remember the things you say and use that knowledge to give you gifts that have meaning or that relate to you in some way. For example, if you are a serious foodie and he surprises you with a rare autographed copy of Julia Child's cookbook, you can bet he cares about you. When he knows you're having a bad day at work, he'll scour the Internet to find a video clip guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.