Yes, relationships are all about compromise, but there are some things that you can’t expect to change about your partner. Here, a guide to loving your guy just the way he is.
1. Go Team!
There’s very little that will ever come between a man and the unbridled passion he feels for his favorite team. He’ll sneak out during your friend’s wedding to check the score and he will be depressed when they lose, no matter what you do to cheer him up. You’re not going to beat him on this one, so you may just want to join him.
2. Come Clean
You’re probably never going to convince him that the blankets must be pulled taut when making the bed or that closets should only have one kind of hanger. But if you can at least both agree that clean means “not dirty,” you should be able to cohabit in peace.
3. Drink Up
Second to sports (and you, of course), beer may just be his favorite thing in life. Let him enjoy his pint of barrel-aged lager and don’t force your own preference for wine on him.
4. Sock It to Me
You may be able to get a man to upgrade his shoes, but trying to get a guy to really care about his socks is another story. We’ve found that most men don’t worry too much about their socks matching—as long as they’re the same color, it’s close enough. So be it.
5. Mommy Dearest
Good or bad, his relationship with his mom is what it is. You may be able to do a little bit here and there (like, say, convincing him to ask her to call before just stopping by), but it’s unlikely you’ll ever affect any real change in this area.
6. Just Look Away
File this one under “Nobody’s Perfect.” Every guy has one gross-out habit—and hopefully only one—whether it’s picking his toenails, spitting when he runs (because he has to, he’ll tell you). As long as it’s not harmful to his health (or yours), permit him this single indiscretion and you’ll spare yourself plenty of futile nagging.
7. On the Road
Do not suggest a faster route when he’s driving. Do not offer: “The lane’s clear if you want to get over.” Do not tell him he can make the light. As long as he’s obeying the law, then the way he drives is the way he drives. And that’s a two-way street. When you’re at the wheel, he should keep mum.
8. Pet Project
A person’s pet preferences are pretty much set by young adulthood, so whether he’s a cat person, a dog person or none of the above is essentially out of your hands. While he may learn to tolerate Mr. Bigglesworth, he will never love him the way that you do. Accept it.
9. Family Matters
Not to compare your family to pets, but the situation here is similar: He may never love your relatives, but as long as he makes an appropriate effort, then you’ve got no beef with him.
10. Talk to Me
Yes, you want a partner who’s willing to share his feelings, but don’t expect a miracle if you’re with a man who’s on the more reticent side. A 2013 study found that women naturally have more Foxp2, the “language protein,” in their brains, which makes them chattier.
(via Glo)
