I see so many posts and stories about #RelationshipGoals and being the romantic that I am, I usually love all of them. Surprise visits, weekend vacations, and thoughtful gifts always turn my heart to mush and make me melt. But sometimes I see things that are considered "relationship goals" that are really just things all good partners should do. Here are 10 #goals that your significant other should be doing in a relationship!
1. Caring about your problemsÂ
This is kind of the first thing listed in the job description of being a good partner. You should listen to the person you're with, let them vent when they've had a rough day, and keep up with how things in their life are going. The idea of having a partner that actually cares about what you're going through should not be romanticized, it should be the norm.
2. Complementing you (a.k.a. hyping you up)Â
I see videos on social media all the time of boyfriends being like "damnnnnn look at my girl, she's looking so good today, thats my baby!!!" with "#goals" as the caption. Although I think these videos are super cute, all partners should be doing this for one another. If you can't go on and on about the person you're with and shower them with compliments, you might be with the wrong person.
3. Knowing your food ordersÂ
This sounds dumb, but after you've been together for a few months, knowing what your partner orders at their favorite places should be a given. If you've been paying attention, this is a no-brainer. If you care about your significant other and listen to them, it's so easy to start remembering how they like their coffee or what they get on their Chipotle bowl.
4. Wanting to meet/spend time with your familyÂ
Unless you have a difficult or different family situation, your partner should always be interested in meeting your family and getting to know them. Sometimes I'll see post like "my man wanted to play catch with my little brother and it was so cute." And in my head, I'm like "uh..duh?" Partners should always want to spend time with the other important people in your life because if they're important to you, they should be important to them, too.
5. Remembering small details about your or your relationship with each otherÂ
"He remembered where we went on our first date and took me there for our 1 year anniversary #GOALS!" Um...well I damn sure hope he remembered where you two went on your first date! Remembering these small details is super important and shows that you care. This is not something that is super special because ALL good partners should do this!
6. Going on datesÂ
Not to generalize, but so many millennial relationships revolve around "hanging out." Netflix and chilling, doing homework together, or spending time with a group of friends are all great things, but it makes going out to dinner or to a movie seem like this super other wordly experience. When in reality, going on dates should be a given in any relationship. This doesn't mean you have to go out every single week or even that you have to spend a lot of money, but dates are an important part to any relationship and shouldn't be considered "relationship goals."
7. Posting about you on social mediaÂ
I know everyone uses social media differently and in some cases, you're not able to or you don't want to be super personal on your online accounts-and that is totally fine! But posting about and showing off your significant other on social media is such a norm for this generation. So when people get all excited because their partner posted about them, I get sort of confused because shouldn't that be a given?
8. Getting along with your friends
This could be an unpopular opinion, but if your partner doesn't want to meet and get to know you're friends, you might be with the wrong person. I've seen posts about people being excited because their boyfriend/girlfriend and their best friend get along and hang out and even though that's great, shouldn't it just be that way? It's the same when it comes to family, if you have important people in your life, those people should be important to your partner as well. That's not goals, that's just being a good significant other.
9. Supporting your personal and professional goalsÂ
"So glad I have a man that supports my career goals and helps me become the person I want to be!" This is great and I'm so happy you have that...but this is how ALL partners should be. Your significant other should be supportive of your dreams and aspirations and do what they can to help you. It shouldn't be special or out of the ordinary if they do this.
10. Having fun together
This might seem stupid, but I've seen posts like "I'm so lucky to have a girlfriend who I have inside jokes with" or "Get you a relationship where you laugh more than you fight" .... LIKE DUH! This is your partner!!! You're supposed to be best friends, make memories, joke, laugh, and have a good time! This should not be uncommon, if anything, it should be uncommon if you DON'T do this.