Around 2 o'clock in the morning the other day, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed. I noticed a friend had shared a semi-controversial post about what women tend to expect from men in a relationship; his hoodies, for him to pay all the time, even random calls at 4am, and the list goes on! Although his hoodies are comfy (they’re probably three times our size), and getting treated to Starbucks or frozen yogurt is simply deliciously sweet. Men should not be held to such strange expectations! Let’s be honest, how many of us girls actually know what is truly expected from us in a relationship? Probably not much because we tend to do things by thinking an awful lot about the "perfect" relationship portrayed to us by society. We think about what we want based on what we see in the media. Unfortunately, these "goals" can be highly unrealistic and extremely materialistic. My point is that we may be wanting too much from our guy because of what we think is "cute." So what should we really want for our relationship without having to be influenced by the media and society?
1. Honesty
Honesty is probably the most important part about any relationship. Who cares about what she-said-he-saids! If a girl hears something about her boyfriend that bothers her, wouldn’t the best person to talk to about it be her boyfriend?
2. Openness
Having an open mind means being able to see the other person's point of view. If someone has an open mind they will probably stop thinking about themselves and think about the other person. Also, being open means being able to speak about anything to the other person without fear of being shut down.
3. Understanding
Once a couple is truly honest and open with one another, they’ll more than likely learn to understand each other. Likewise, they’ll probably learn to care for each other and treat each other based on the understanding of the other person’s feelings.
4. Caring
Caring for someone is simply making sure the other person is okay. The other person should become a concern to you. For example, simply saying "text me when you get home," or asking, "how was your day" can go a long way.
5. Respect
As a top priority, respect is something everyone should demand in a relationship. This means valuing who you are, who your partner is, and what you guys have. Respect is making sure the other person feels highly esteemed and that there's no overstepping of the other person's wishes/values.
So enough with the petty, perfect-like relationships that everyone seems to try and achieve. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship, therefore those overly generalized "relationship goals" are not necessarily real goals. Our goals should be less about materialistic things and more about honesty, openness, understanding, and caring qualities from men. Above all, we should expect respect and give back respect. In the end, these goals are way better than his hoodies, his money, or his random calls at 4am.
