If Hollywood is to be believed, the guy is always the bad partner in the relationship. Nothing is ever the woman’s fault and the man is always the lying, cheating, noncommittal bastard who breaks the innocent woman’s heart. But Hollywood is so full of crap, it’s drowning in it. Women are capable of the same rotten behavior that usually gets pinned on men. The thing is, girlfriends don’t get called out on their misdeeds as often as boyfriends do. Crappy girlfriends tend to do crappy things. Don’t be one of them.
- They can never be alone. Space in a relationship is healthy. There’s nothing wrong with spending a night or two apart from your boyfriend. If you can’t handle that, you should probably book a brain scan. Your unhinged lobe is malfunctioning.
- They never pick up the tab. Your boyfriend is not your bank account. You have no “right” to any of his money nor does he owe you any of his money just for being his girlfriend. If you want to be paid for being a girlfriend, you should consider being an escort. Don’t be cheap. Buy the man dinner. Or a fancy bottle of whiskey. That works, too.
- They never make any suggestions. “I dunno, what do you want to do?” is not an acceptable answer when your boyfriend asks what you want to do tonight. Make an effort and throw some suggestions out there. It’s really easy. If you want to build a fort and watch Netflix until your eyes bleed, say so.
- They’re lazy in bed. If you wonder why your boyfriend is thinner than you, it’s because he burns more calories during sex than you do. Few things are a bigger buzz kill than a lousy sexy time partner. Laying in bed motionless in the dreaded starfish position romp after romp isn’t exactly going to make your boyfriend look forward to doing the deed. Try breathing louder and moving your limbs around a bit next time.
- They don’t want to try anything new. There’s nothing wrong with being set in a comfortable routine, but you’re probably a very dull person if you never branch out and try new things. Have a sense of adventure. You don’t have to go full Tomb Raider to keep things from getting stale. Just don’t get wide eyed and say, “I fear change!” when you get the opportunity to do something new. Get off your butt and go to that jousting tournament, dammit!
- They nag. He heard you the first time. Seriously.They’re jealous. If you turn into an angry, sweaty, hyperventilating Darth Vader every time another female is in the vicinity of your boyfriend, you need to check yourself. News flash: you’re not the only woman on the planet. There are many, many others and he’s going to have to interact with them every day. You know, like a normal person. Just because he’s talking to a girl, it doesn’t mean he’s going to cheat on you or leave you. Jealousy is exhausting to deal with. If you trust the guy, there’s no reason to go nuts when he’s around other girls. Turn the nuts down a few notches.
- They try to change him. How would you feel if you found out that the guy you’re dating had a mental list of things he wanted to change about you? You’d probably be pissed. Trying to change someone is not only impossible, it’s a bad move. Why get involved with someone you don’t like from the get-go? Don’t waste his time. Accept him as he is or let him go, you silly girl.