Practice these annoying behaviors and your boyfriend might be on his way out…
We all make mistakes. But when a “mistake” is made again and again, it becomes a “bad habit” – one that can absolutely drive your boyfriend crazy. God knows we men have plenty of them that are unbelievably aggravating to our girlfriends. But hey, we’re working on ’em! And for that reason, you, too, should work on yours:
Smothering
Attention and affection are great – asphyxiation, not so much. Try not to spend every waking moment fawning over us or blowing up our phones.
Of course communication is of utmost importance in a relationship, but there’s a time and place for every conversation. If the topic is especially serious, sometimes it’s best to just try it again when we’re more prepared.
Managing Time Poorly
We know that your face cleaning regimen takes six hours – but shouldn’t that be even more reason to pad your prep time so you can arrive punctually? Conversely, the only thing worse than being late for things is overcompensating and dragging us out of the house way too early. And never guilt an on-time guy just because you arrived early for a date!
Playing Secretary
We’re happy you’re so excited for us to meet your Ma and Pa, but don’t make plans for us without consulting us first. As awesome as it is to meld worlds with a new partner, the melding has to be consensual. Make sure your partner is on board with the potential festivities before blocking out his schedule for him.
Celebrating Sub-Anniversaries
A “First Date Anniversary” is one thing; “First Kiss” is another.
But there is no such thing as “First Time We Got To Second Base Anniversary” or “The Anniversary of the First Time We Both Finished Each Other’s Sentence While Eating Dinner At That Sushi Restaurant We Love So Much”. Men only have room in their brains for a handful of important holidays, and we think that’s just fine.
Changing Outfits A Million Times
We may be on one extreme end of the spectrum, being able to throw on a pair of jeans and a shirt in six seconds flat without a second thought – but would it be so hard to go with your initial instincts just once when getting dressed? This goes for other decisions, too, such as choosing what to watch on TV. Let’s pick something before ABC cycles through another entire season of The Bachelor.
Testing
“That’s fine – we can just do what you want to do”. “Why do you think I’m mad?”. “I don’t care about Valentine’s Day either… that much… at the moment…”. All of the preceding quotes are examples of disapproval frustratingly disguised as diplomacy. Note this, ladies: passive aggressively testing us will never be as effective as simply addressing the issue head-on.
Leaving The Power On
Electricity doesn’t grow on trees, Miss. Whether you’re staying for the night, or live full-time with your boyfriend, be conscious of turning off the TV when you’re not using it. Shut the lights when you leave a room. And unplug that damned toaster so you don’t burn the house down!
Spying
Short of cheating, if there were ever a surefire way to betray a guy, spying would be it. Reading through our emails, listening in on phone conversations, or physically following us to confirm good behavior are all serious breaches of trust. And what is a relationship if you can’t irrefutably trust your partner?
Obsessing Over Weight
Body image issues can be tough – but ladies have to at least realize that we’re exponentially less aware of your weight than you are. Most guys can’t ever tell if you’ve gained five, ten, or even fifteen pounds. If you’re at all concerned that we’ll notice, there’s certainly no need to stress over minor fluctuations.
Leaving Hair In The Drain
We know you hate hearing us complain about this… but it kinda just sucks.
Trying To Change Us
Admittedly, the whole point of a relationship is to grow with the help and support of your romantic partner. But experiencing mutual development through shared experience and thoughtful dialogue is very different from demanding immediate personality changes. People can mature and improve – but they rarely ever change… and nagging for such won’t help!
