He’s Only Doing The Bare Minimum, Unless He Does These 6 Things
Texting you back isn’t enough. He should be coming up with conversation starters too.
You shouldn’t be the only one reaching out. He should be texting first, checking in on you, and asking questions. He should be answering with more than one-word responses and GIFs that stop the conversation in its tracks. You shouldn’t be the only one keeping the conversation afloat. He should be putting in effort too to make it clear he wants to hear from you and doesn’t want the conversation to end anytime soon.
Remembering your birthday isn’t enough. He should be remembering the little things too.
And he should be picking up on what you like and dislike as the relationship progresses. He should learn the way you like to be comforted when you’re upset and the way you prefer to communicate about feelings. He should learn your favorite bands to listen to in the car and your favorite snacks to eat on weekends. He should be paying attention and absorbing information instead of expecting you to spell out what you want at every moment.
Showing up for dates isn’t enough. He should be present and engaged.
He shouldn’t be staring at his phone, scrolling through social media or texting other people while you’re sitting across from him. He should be actively listening to what you have to say. He should be engaged in the conversation, looking you in the eyes, making it clear that he values every second spent with you. He should be making the most of your time together. He should be emotionally present, not just physically present.
Saying the right thing isn’t enough. He should be backing it up with his actions.
His promises mean nothing if he never actually follows through on them. You deserve someone who means what they say, who will follow through on their plans to make you happy instead of talking a big game and hoping you get swept up in the possibility of what they could do for you.
Apologizing after hurting you isn’t enough. He should be changing his behaviors.
If he hurts your feelings, saying sorry is the least he can do. The real test is if he takes effort to work on himself and change the behaviors that are damaging the relationship. His apology doesn’t mean much if he’s going to turn around and do the same exact thing again tomorrow. What really matters is how he acts moving forward, whether he makes a real change or falls back into the same old patterns.
Staying loyal isn’t enough. He should be making you feel like the only one for him.
Deleting his dating apps is the absolute least he can do. If he’s making a real commitment to you, he should never make you feel inferior by comparing you to others. He should never make you wonder whether he’d be happier with someone else. He should make it clear that he’s done looking around and only wants to be with you because you are everything he’s ever wanted.