"I Honestly Expected Cohabitating To Be A Real Struggle": Women Are Sharing Little Things They Learned About Guys After Living With Them, And I'm Cackling At Some Of These
I know firsthand from living with a brother growing up and then briefly living with a male roommate that living with a man as a woman is no easy feat. Women of the BuzzFeed Community and redditors shared things they learned about men after moving in with them. Here is what some had to say (I am nodding in agreement at many of these):
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1."My husband will turn on the bedroom AC to its highest setting and then pile three heavy blankets on top of himself. Then, complain that it's too hot. Every. Single. Summer. Night."
2."This might be just specific to my boyfriend, but I was surprised at how much he was willing to compromise. He stopped leaving the toilet seat up, he hates vacuuming, but he'll mop, and if I cook, he cleans. I honestly expected cohabitating to be a real struggle, but it has strengthened our relationship tenfold."
3."My husband is a lot tidier than I am. I didn’t even realize what a slob I was until we started living together when we were dating. He may not be aware of this, but that realization is what helped motivate me to be tidier, and I continue to be because of him almost 13 years later."
—Anonymous
4."They think of the bathroom as a retreat and genuinely enjoy spending the longest time they can on the can. Also, eyes shut and suddenly they're dead asleep, zero thoughts every time."
5."What is it with men opening cabinet doors or pulling out drawers but never closing them? They seem perfectly content with being in a kitchen with every single door wide open while women find it insufferable!"
6."My husband is amazing. He can cook, he’s tidy, he’s the best father, and he can and does fix pretty much anything that breaks, but man, he does not know how to prioritize cleaning. Guests coming over? Time to vacuum out the van."
7."That when men have a cold, the world is ending. They can have a stuffy nose and sore throat, and I would think they had something seriously wrong. One day I will go through the very intense and painful process of childbirth, and then maybe I will understand how a man feels when they're sick for a day."
8."My husband and I have lived in our house for 15 years. He still doesn't know where certain things go in our kitchen even though I've never moved them around."
9."They love using my beauty supplies. Body scrubs, lotions, facial masks, and anti-aging creams all tend to be popular items."
10."My husband can find stuff in the kitchen but for some reason doesn’t remember where it goes when he empties the dishwasher."
11."Something I've noticed since moving in with my S.O. is how much I enjoy having someone to help me out with stuff. I've always had kind of bad roommates who tend not to do their fair share of the work (to be honest, I'm a neat freak, so my standards are definitely set higher than the average person's). My significant other, though, is always willing to help me out with anything I ask. I also love having a perpetually available adventure buddy. Even if I just want to go to the grocery store, he's always willing to come with me."
12."I am sorry, but sitting on the toilet for 45 minutes twice a day is not self-care or a hobby."
13."They don’t think through all of their ideas. After being married for three months, I learned that my husband sometimes puts things in the oven to 'warm them up.' Fabric + high heat is not a good idea. How did I find out? Well, one cold, winter night (we live in Michigan), he put in some socks. It was late. I had gone to bed, but he was staying up late to work on some school assignments. Apparently, he fell asleep while waiting for his socks to warm up. I awoke to the fire alarm and black smoke filling our apartment (my husband was still asleep, by the way). Once the fire was under control, I inquired what had happened. That is when we had to have a talk about no longer putting non-food items in the oven."
14."They have different 'rules' about things. A shirt is not dirty unless it's smelly, wet, or has fresh stains on it. They'll wear it again before choosing to wash it. Making the bed every morning is not required, it's a waste of time. It's a lot of practicality and efficiency vs. making things look nice and 'wasting' time."
Is there anything you learned about men after living with them? If so, share it with me in the comments below!