Signs of a good husband

Will your boyfriend be a good husband? How can you tell? The first thing to look for is maturity. A husband should take life seriously.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have lots of fun together. But he should have clear and solid values, and as close to yours as possible.

So that you always understand where each of you is coming from, and can always find a way forward together.

A husband must have drive and ambition. And a sense of purpose.

Because, if he loves what he does and believes that it matters — like it’s contributing something important to society — then you’ll be much happier together than if he’s only driven by earning as much money as possible.

These days society encourages us to be individualistic. But a good husband should always take care of his wife before he takes care of himself.

So how does your boyfriend respond when you ask him for help? Does he start sliding away? Or is he supportive? Does he treat waiters and shop attendants kindly? Is he selfish or considerate?

Because love isn’t always romance and flowers. Sometimes it just comes down to caring for your partner. If your boyfriend treats you and others well, then he’ll still be loving and understanding when times are tough.

LASTING MARRIAGE

Some boyfriends are really nice. But that’s all there is. There’s absolutely no depth to the relationship. You get along well, and have fun. But there’s nothing about him that inspires or challenges you.

So what sets your boyfriend apart from all the other nice guys out there? Something that makes your boyfriend unique is essential to a lasting marriage.

When you try to talk about something serious, does your boyfriend always make it into a joke? Get defensive? Or shut down? A huge part of a healthy relationship is being able to talk about serious issues.

So if you marry a man who’s only ever up for the easy stuff, you’ll end up feeling lonely. Because when you have a problem, you need to be able to talk about it with the man who’s closest to you.

If you’re not sure whether your boyfriend is open to serious issues, try asking him some meaningful, open-ended questions, and see how he responds. Is he intrigued and gives interesting answers? Or does he shrug the question off?

No matter how much you love one another, you’re different. With differing backgrounds and personalities. So your husband needs to have a flexible and open mind. And to value your opinion.

So even when you disagree on something, he’s able to listen to you. To be open to your ideas — and even criticism. To recognise your good points, and that your different opinions bring balance into your relationship.

So watch for your guy asking you, ‘What do you think?’ or ‘How do you feel about that?’ Then you know that he values your thoughts and opinions. And that means he values you!

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