For most men, their other half is their better half. They take great pride in being with the woman they love and try to show her just how much she means to them. However, sometimes men end up unintentionally hurting the women they love. They don’t mean to, but it happens. Here are some of their worst (and most careless) offenses.
1. Showing a lack of interest
Life is busy for most at the best of times, and sometimes, this can result in a man not engaging with his partner as much as he should. If he’s concentrating on work or something important to him, he might unintentionally show a lack of interest in you. This is not to say that he doesn’t care about your feelings and what’s happening on your side of the relationship — he’s just distracted and not focused on the relationship at the moment.
2. Being thoughtless
It’s common knowledge that men and women are different and think differently. Therefore, sometimes, men can come across as thoughtless when they approach a scenario slightly differently from you. According to one study, women have a broader thought process than men, so it’s no wonder their approach to thinking through a scenario can be so lacking.
3. Being controlling
In some relationships, men develop controlling behavior that is, at best, toxic and, at worst, downright dangerous. If you feel that you’re not in a safe environment in your relationship, it’s important to seek help. However, there’s also a gray middle ground where a man might want to show his protective side and become controlling instead. It’s not his intention to be controlling, but it comes out this way and ends up hurting you.
4. Being forgetful
What woman hasn’t had to deal with a forgetful man? From forgetting to fill up the gas tank in the car to it slipping his mind that you’d planned a romantic date this weekend, there’s no end to man’s ability to be forgetful. Most of the time, he doesn’t intend to be forgetful and hurt you — he most likely has a lot of things on his mind.
5. Teasing you
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of banter from both sides in a relationship. However, it’s important to communicate where the line should be; otherwise, you’re going to end up getting hurt. Perhaps your partner came from a family where teasing was the norm, whereas you’re used to a little more reserve. He might have unintentionally hurt you by saying something in jest if this is the case, Verywell Mind notes.
6. Ignoring you
Like showing thoughtlessness, men can be easily distracted, which you might interpret as ignoring you. The good news is that unless your man has an unresolved issue with you that he hasn’t communicated yet, chances are he’s not intentionally giving you the cold shoulder — he’s just focused on the task in front of him. Studies show that women are better at multitasking than men — surprise, surprise!
7. Being insensitive
The fact that men and women think differently could be a clue as to why sometimes they come across as insensitive. Perhaps your partner said something hurtful to you recently, and you communicated this with him. He said he didn’t even realize what he said was bad. Men interact with men differently than women, and at times, they might get it wrong.
8. Being selfish
Both men and women can be selfish, and it’s important to pay attention to behaviors that may slip into this territory. When you have been with someone for a long time, it’s easy to get into a routine and start thinking about your needs over your partners’. If you feel like the man in your life is being selfish and putting his needs above yours, he probably doesn’t mean to do that — he needs a reminder every now and then.
9. Giving you the silent treatment
External influences and factors constantly test relationships, from stress to tiredness and even financial concerns. Maybe you and your partner are going through a stressful season with work and money, and you feel like he’s giving you the silent treatment. It’s more likely that he has a lot on his mind.
10. Being unkind
Women tend to be more sensitive than men, and this is where issues can arise. Say, for example, it’s your time of the month, and you’re feeling slightly more sensitive than usual. You might interpret specific comments and tones as unkind when your partner isn’t being any different. Or, perhaps he is being unkind but doesn’t realize it.
11. Not spending enough time with you
If your love language is quality time, then you will want to spend as much time with your man as possible. This is how you feel loved and valued in your relationship. However, if you haven’t communicated this with your partner, he might have no idea that he’s spending too much time with his friends or playing video games and not enough time with you.
12. Not helping around the house
When you live with your partner, you take on certain roles based on your values and lifestyle. Some of these are unspoken, while others need to be communicated. If you haven’t communicated your desire for your partner to help around the house, you might feel hurt and frustrated that they aren’t, even though they don’t realize it.
13. Avoiding important topics
There are a few important topics in a relationship that are important to discuss —from sex and money to in-laws and personal lifestyle differences. Your man might avoid some of these important topics or shut down when you try to broach them. He may not be doing this on purpose, though. Perhaps he grew up in a household that avoided talking about those topics.
14. Not keeping promises
Everyone brings different personality traits to a relationship; some gel better than others. You might feel like your partner is hurting you by not keeping his promises, but he may not know that he’s even breaking them. Say, for example, your partner never gets home when he says he will — he’s always late. He likes to keep you happy by giving you a hopeful time, but needs help following through.
15. Sabotaging the relationship
When two people bring different characteristics to a relationship, some will clash and even sabotage aspects of it. While this might feel like it’s on purpose, your partner might not know that his actions are getting in the way of a healthy relationship. Everyone has blind spots when it comes to behavior, so it’s essential to communicate your feelings about this.
