How to be a better husband

We’ve all heard the old clichés. Sometimes the best way to be a good husband is just to listen, have dinner on the table when your wife gets home, maybe bring flowers now and then. But what are some of those things that really matter? What skills will help you grow into being an even better spouse?

A successful marriage isn’t just about love—it takes work! Marriage is both easy and hard at the same time, so it’s important to put some time and effort into making sure your relationship is as strong as it can be. These are 22 of our favorite things husbands can do for their wives.

1. Don’t be a jerk

There’s a fine line between funny and obnoxious, and it’s your job as a husband to make sure you know the difference. If your wife is looking for humor, try to play along with her jokes, or at least not make them harder than they need to be. If you have genuine intentions behind your jokes—and if you’re not being offensive—your wife will most likely appreciate it. If you try being funny by insulting her in front of others—or by making fun of her appearance in general—she’s probably going to think less of you for a long time.

2. Pick up your mess

Husbands are responsible for the mess they make. You shouldn’t have to clean up after a pot-luck dinner, but when you see that it’s just half-eaten dinner sitting on the kitchen table, or that there’s empty pop cans scattered all over your living room, you should take care of it. It’s also nice to be able to pick things up off the floor without embarrassing yourself by crying about how gross it is. This will also help you fit in with those boy scouts who always seem to be cleaning and picking up and you’ll be able to hold hands with your wife again!

3. Don’t lie to your wife about who you are

Sometimes it can be so hard to remember all of the dumb things you’ve done in a relationship, and sometimes you’ll have no idea why she’s mad at you or why she says things to make it look like it’s your fault. Don’t make her feel bad about having feelings about what you do: If something bothers her, say so, without being defensive. She’ll understand that if it makes her uncomfortable, there’s a reason for that. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love or accept you! The important thing is to not make her feel like she has to pretend everything is OK with you just because it sounds better than the truth.

4. Don’t take her for granted

You are the person who is supposed to take care of her, and you are the only person who can do that. Make sure to give her a hug every morning, call or text when you say you will, and don’t ignore how much she needs to be loved—it will show in everything you do. And don’t take her out of your life too often: There are times when it’s nice to be able to go home to your own bed instead of having to share a bedroom with someone else!

5. Be a good listener

Being respectful of your wife’s feelings is a big step to improving your marriage and makes her feel more respected as well. Listen as she talks about her day, and let her know that you’re aware that she’s trying to make things better. Maybe she needs encouragement, or just someone to talk to about the stresses and pressures of life in general. Let her know how much you appreciate the effort that she’s putting into realizing those goals. This will allow your relationship to grow, and it will allow both you and your wife to feel more appreciated by each other.

6. Allow her time alone with herself & friends

You might not think that this is an issue, especially because you’re the only one your wife has to interact with, but allowing her time alone to do whatever it is she wants—even if it’s just watching a movie—will allow her to feel more relaxed and thus make her feel closer to you. She will be able to think about nothing else but her day when she’s by herself, and that will help her relax. And finally, allow your wife some time with the friends she has made over the years. These are some of the best people in her life and are a great resource for advice on how to be a better person or how she can make relationships work better with others.

7. Cook a new meal at least once a week

It’s one of the most important things you can do to not only be a good husband but also to show your wife that you care about her. This will allow her to feel more comfortable in your kitchen, and she’ll want you there and appreciate you for helping to take care of such an important part of her life. She might even start to look forward to cooking with you, which will make you feel like you’re a good person!

8. Try not to dominate the relationship

It sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes men can get so comfortable in the relationship that they forget that women need time alone. If she asks you for space, try to respect her and give her what she wants every once in a while. If she needs space and it seems like she’s very unhappy about spending time with you, maybe even go out of your way not to marry her—it’ll make you happy in the end!

9. Don’t go outside of your marriage boundaries

No matter how good you think your marriage is, sometimes it’s normal to feel like there is something more on the horizon. It’s not wrong to feel that way—and it’s actually healthy—but don’t confuse “being interested in someone else” with being unfaithful or a bad person! If you’re interested in someone else, just be honest about it and be careful about how much you share about your relationship with them. Take care of yourself and don’t let your relationship get in the way of your wellbeing.

10. Try not to always be negative

If you just can’t help being negative all the time, try to at least try to be less of a downer. If you’re always complaining about how your wife is making you feel like you’re a failure or that everything she does makes her life worse, it will make her feel bad about herself and she will start to believe that there is something wrong with her. You don’t need to be so negative that it affects both of your lives; just make an effort to improve yourself and maybe things will get better.

11. Get out of the house occasionally!

Getting out of the house sometimes is essential for keeping things fresh and exciting in a marriage, especially if they’re married with kids. It’s nice to change locations once in a while and get to know that you can function outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes it just gets to be monotonous: You wake up, you go to work, you come back, and then the next day it’s just the same thing.

12. Don’t give up on her

You’ll both have bad days, and there are times when one or both of you will want to throw in the towel on your marriage in general. But if you think that your relationship is not working, don’t just give up; think about what could be actually causing the issues and ask for help from a friend or a counselor. And always remember: There will be hard times ahead; take it one day at a time and don’t give up!

13. Speak to each other in a respectful way

Remember to always speak to each other with respect and that your words should never hurt his feelings. If you’re having an argument or it seems like things are falling apart, try to make sure that no one is getting hurt in the process. If you can’t talk in a respectful way, perhaps you should take a break from the conversation so that things don’t blow up. After all, a marriage is something that should be worked on; it shouldn’t just be “settled for.”

14. Make sure not to play games with each other

Don’t talk around each other or try to avoid talking about issues directly; just come right out and say what you need to say in a straightforward way. You’ll save yourselves from so many problems if you talk about your feelings straight off instead of going somewhere else or doing something else just to avoid the topic at hand.

15. Don’t always take the same relationship advice

Everyone has their own approach to things, and a lot of relationship advice can seem contradictory. When it comes to certain subjects, don’t just take what you read and try to apply them directly. Instead, think about what they’re trying to say and then formulate your own opinion on the matter. What works for your friend might not work for you, and vice versa!

16. Make sure that you have new interests that you both enjoy together

It’s important that you not only have hobbies that are completely separate from each other, but also hobbies that bring the two of you together. Maybe you both like to read, which is great; but if you like to do it at the same time, maybe you should try it together. Don’t let your hobbies fall by the wayside just because “the other person doesn’t really care about them.” Pick something new and enjoy sharing your new hobby with each other.

17. Keep on having fun outside of your relationship

If you’re in a relationship, your friends and family will definitely want to be involved in it, and it’s important to make sure that they don’t always focus on you. If you’re interested in doing things like the theater or the ballet, make sure to always invite some friends along. You’ll be able to have a really great time with all of your friends, and at the same time, you won’t get too hung up on each other.

18. Be honest with each other

You might have issues that you’re dealing with, and you might think they’re the biggest in the world. In reality, they probably are not, but don’t hesitate to tell your partner about them—it’ll make you feel better! Instead of holding them inside of yourself like a burden and letting them weigh you down, lay them down on the table and be honest about what’s going on. Relationships can work if both people are being honest about their problems and aren’t afraid to bring things up.

19. Don’t hold grudges

You’re not going to get anything done if you hold a grudge; let things go and get on with your life. When things go wrong, try to think about them without getting so hung up on it that you can’t move on! Remember that there are ups and downs in every relationship, so don’t make it any harder than it needs to be by holding onto your feelings.

20. Don’t just think of each other as one person

When things get really difficult, think about all of the different aspects of your relationship that make it unique, and think about why those things are important to you. Maybe you like how he can make you laugh when no one else can, or maybe you love that she’s always there for you whenever you need her. Think about why each thing is so important to you in order to make sure that you’re happy and that your relationship doesn’t fall apart.

21. Remember what’s important in a relationship

Remember why the two of you are together, and don’t ever forget it. The things that the two of you have in common are what matter the most; everything else will either grow stronger or fall apart completely as time goes on. Don’t let little things take over your relationship and make it hard for it to function properly.

22. Make sure that you like each other for who you are

When it comes to love, remember that at the end of the day, your relationship is about a lot more than just your physical attraction to one another. You’re not going to want to be with someone if you can’t even stand his or her personality; make sure that you’re both compatible with one another and that you like who he or she is! If things don’t work out, it’s better to find out now rather than later on down the road.

 

It’s really important that you have a great relationship with your partner, and if you don’t know where they’re coming from, it can be hard to make it work. But with some thought and a little effort on both ends of the spectrum, you should be able to work out the majority of your issues in no time. And remember: There’s so much more about this sort of thing than meets the eye!

To be a good husband, you need to be able to communicate with your partner, and if you don’t know what she’s thinking or how to approach important issues with her, it can make it difficult for you. These tips will help you communicate better with your wife, and they’ll hopefully even make the two of you stronger friends than you were before.

Make sure that you’re doing things that are in the best interest of both of you, and if it’s your first time as a married couple, remember to be patient with yourselves! There’s no need to rush into things; instead, just take it slow and try not to get so worked up about anything.