20 Relationship Goals We All Secretly Want

Wanting a guy who has his act together and who will eventually want to settle down into a long-term committed relationship are pretty big relationship goals, but they’re also pretty standard. There are literally thousands of smaller goals you’d probably love to achieve with your future (or current) boyfriend, though, that would make being in love that much better. Here are just a few of them:

1. Someone who doesn’t judge you for eating an entire pizza. Better yet, they admire your stamina. Who wouldn’t be impressed? A dummy, that’s who.
2. Someone who won’t laugh at your need to sleep with a nightlight. We all have some fears that are irrational; no need to comment on it.
3. Someone who will put up with your cat, even if they hate cats. Or turtle, gerbil, whatever. If they can appreciate your love of your pet despite their loathing of that type of animal, that’s because they really love you.
4. Someone whose idea of “outdoor sports” is the same as yours. If you love water skiing, snowboarding, and free climbing giant cliffs, you want someone who likes to do those kinds of things too. If you like leisurely strolls by riverbanks and light hikes with picnics at the end, that’s the goal you want in a significant other.
5. Someone who won’t be grossed out when you fart under the covers. Because you will, and you know this. It happens to us all. When it happens, you don’t want someone who acts disgusted that you have a totally normal bodily function going on. Even better? If they can laugh with you, not at you.
6. Someone who would never, ever spoil Game of Thrones for you. Respect the appointment television. Understand the appointment television. Be quiet during the appointment television.
7. Someone who loves to do what you hate to do, and vice versa. You hate cooking but you love doing the dishes. (What? Some people do! Dish washing can be very soothing.) If you can find someone whose household chores yin meets your yang, that’s #goals.
8. Someone who is nice when you’re sick. Even if you’re not the best caretaker yourself, you always try to be kind to your significant others when they’re sick. If you find a partner who brings over soup and nurses you through projectile vomiting, that’s a keeper for life.
9. Someone who laughs at your jokes. This is not the same as having a compatible sense of humor — that’s something everyone puts on their OkCupid profile. If you make dumb jokes sometimes just to amuse yourself, you’re not necessarily expecting audience approval — but if you find someone who thinks your silly jokes are entertaining, you’ve hit a goal benchmark.
10. Someone who doesn’t act childish about periods. Look, they happen. Every month, like clockwork. It is not our fault that our bodies decide that they simply must expel parts of us every four weeks. Women who get periods deal with the worst carnage imaginable. The least a man could do is be supportive of our pain and not get embarrassed about buying tampons at the corner store.
11. Someone who votes the same way you do. We might not want to admit it, but we’d all like someone in our political party. You gotta have at least some of the same beliefs for it to work. That’s not saying you can’t get along if you’re on opposing parties, but it’s not really the same.
12. Someone who respects your need for alone time. Even the most extroverted among us needs a certain amount of time on our own. Respecting that is great. In fact, even better is if he’s the same and loves getting away from it all to be solo for a bit. If you can figure out a schedule that works, this is the best.
13. Someone who likes you with or without makeup. Because makeup isn’t what makes you, you. We all want someone to appreciate us no matter what we’ve added to our faces. Sure, you like getting dressed up to the nines from time to time, but you don’t want to have to worry that he won’t be attracted to you when you’re in sweats with a messy bun on your head.
14. Someone who’s willing to help you sneak food into a movie theater. In fact, some might find it an art form. A guy who offers to bring his backpack because you can fit bigger snacks in clearly knows the way to your heart.
15. Someone who doesn’t get mad when you’re late. Or early, or whatever your chronic punctuality habit is. You’ve had it this long, and you’re not likely to change. Obviously you try to be respectful of his time, but crap happens and you need someone who gets that.
16. Someone who would never disparage your intensely emotional relationship with Beyonce’s musical catalog. This one could be a dealbreaker, actually. It’s not like you expect him to know all the choreography to the “Single Ladies” video or anything, but he’d certainly get bonus points if he did.
17. Someone who’s fun to road trip with. There are people who hate long drives, and people who love them. No disrespect to those who loathe the car, but it’s a fun bonus to date someone who makes a good road buddy.
18. Someone who would definitely abandon their duties as an emergency responder and come to rescue their family in the event of a catastrophic earthquake. Oh, I’m sorry, that’s just the plot of Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s blockbuster San Andreas. Hey, it’s a good movie!
19. Someone who will snap Instagram portraits of your killer outfit without complaint. Everyone needs that person in their life. He should know all the good angles and take as many photos as you can until you get the lighting just right.
20. Someone who doesn’t judge you for your need to pet every dog, anywhere. There are dogs who need pats, and you need a partner who supports you in your noble mission. Better yet, he should join in.