If you believe stereotypes, guys only care about sports and sex, which can make relationships complicated and frustrating. Obviously guys are more complex than that, but no matter how much we wish guys were more like us, it’s probably better to give our boyfriends a break for doing these 10 things:
- Not wanting to talk all the time. If there’s one major boyfriend stereotype, it’s that guys don’t love talking to their girlfriends all the time – and they especially don’t love chatting about their emotions. I refuse to believe that every single guy on the planet hates talking and feels nothing 100 percent of the time. We all want to just chill sometimes and wanting to wait before opening up is not a gender-specific thing. If your boyfriend seems a bit quieter from time to time, stop freaking out. He’s only human (and so are you).
- Not wanting to see your friends as much as you do. When did boyfriends start tagging along on girls’ nights out? It’s pretty weird if you drag your guy along everywhere you go. Of course he wants to stay home and watch hockey or hang with his own friends – why wouldn’t he? You probably don’t want to watch sports with him and his bros, either. There’s nothing wrong with keeping your social circles separate sometimes.
- Being nervous to meet your parents. It doesn’t mean he hates you or won’t like them or doesn’t want to commit. It just means he’s nervous. I’m sure you’re nervous to meet his fam, too, so let’s just all agree that this is a pretty nerve-racking life event and move on. If your mom and dad end up loathing him, you’ll realize he was probably right to get anxious – and you’ll have another problem to deal with, of course.
- Wanting to take it slow. In our world of 24/7 media updates and news, and with the fact that you could meet your next date or hook-up on Tinder in two minutes, it’s easy to want to fast-track a new relationship. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it totally crashes and burns. If your boyfriend is really into you and wants to take things slow, why whine about it? If you feel the same way about him, just enjoy it and let the milestones happen when they will.
- Needing space. I don’t get clingy couples. It’s so junior high to think that just because you have a boyfriend you need to be with him 24/7. It’s no wonder your guy isn’t exactly in love with the fact that you text him a million times a day and get mad when he doesn’t respond a second later. Respect his need for space and give yourself some, too. That’s honestly the secret to a happy partnership.
- Forgetting to tell you something. Don’t you get forgetful too sometimes? Unless you have a real reason to be suspicious of your boyfriend, it’s not going to work out too well if you accuse him of stuff left and right.
- Not wanting to tell you every detail of his day. Some guys are chattier than others. Some are quieter. We’re like that too. So just because your ex used to tell you everything about his day doesn’t mean your new boyfriend wants to. Everyone’s different.
- Being chill about plans. You may want your schedule to be set in stone but a lot of guys don’t like to plan quite so much. They might not want to have a regular date night scheduled and they might want to decide where to go for dinner an hour before. Instead of complaining about something that doesn’t really matter as long as the two of you are still spending time together, be thankful you’re in a good relationship.
- Not wanting to change. You don’t want to give up your Sunday morning pancakes and mimosas with your BFF, so why should be stop going to his Saturday afternoon soccer league? If you don’t want to give up your life, don’t make him. It’s really as simple as that.
