How do you show your boyfriend that you love him? Many of us often think that showing love is by flaunting your relationship on social media, from the gifts you give each other, the places you visit together, and the activities you do as a couple. Indeed, these are proof of you two being in a relationship, but these do not indicate how much you love each other.
This is because love goes beyond the pictures and celebrations; your boyfriend may be enjoying your ways of pampering him, but he may not feel the love you are giving through these deeds all the time. But how exactly can you show him that you truly love and care for him?
These 8 ways definitely do the trick:
1. You understand that love is a two-way street.
Love is a two-way street, especially when you are in a relationship. You should learn how to listen and give way to your boyfriend during times when your ideas don’t jive or you have different thoughts about a particular matter. He sees it that you love him when you respect his opinions and listen to his ideas, no matter how fickle they may be.
This is because men, by nature, want to lead the relationship, and they find it hard to accept when their girlfriends are stronger than them, personality-wise. You should then learn to step back and give him the floor to speak and be heard, and not to be nagged and shut down just because you didn’t like what he said.
ALSO READ: 12 Ways to be More Understanding in a Relationship
2. Surprise him.
Surprises need not be in the form of grand gestures or fancy gifts, but rather give him something out of the ordinary. Like women, men want to feel special and giddy, but they do not show this side unless they could no longer help it.
You may want to cook him a meal out of the blue or take him to a concert of his favorite band (even if you don’t like that band). You may also give him a present that he really likes but keeps passing off due to other priorities. It’s the thought that counts, really.
3. Build a relationship with his parents.
You can say that you two are already getting serious when he has already introduced you to his parents. In this light, you may want to take this as an opportunity to get to know his mom and dad on a more personal level and build a relationship with them as well.
You need not be really close, but you should take an effort to care about their welfare too (and remind him to value their presence too). When he sees you taking an initiative in building good communication lines and as well as establish respect with his parents, he’d appreciate this because he knows you want what’s best for him –and that you truly care not just for him, but for his family as well.
ALSO READ: 8 Ways to Impress Your Boyfriend’s Mom
4. Allow him to be his own person.
As individuals, we have our own dreams to chase, establish the person we want to be, and live these aspirations to the fullest. However, these get derailed when we are in a relationship because we shift our thoughts about the future to be a joint aspiration. Men don’t get this easily, thus at some point, they feel strangled in the relationship because they feel obligated to follow an aspiration that they are not wholeheartedly committed to.
Hence, you should understand that while your boyfriend loves you, he also needs to be his own person. You must respect that freedom and allow him to build his own aspirations, and work towards them as well. This is because when you do so, the more he will be inspired to reach his goals and dedicate his successes to you.
5. Learn to admit when it’s your fault.
It’s normal for any relationship to have fights and misunderstandings. However, you should also learn that in a healthy and loving relationship, there’s no room for the blame game. You may want to learn how to admit it when you are at fault in something you two are fighting about, and apologize whenever deemed fit.
ALSO READ: 8 Ways to Apologize to Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend After a Fight
6. Be his friend.
You may be extra special because you are his “girlfriend,” but that doesn’t mean you cannot be like the typical friend anymore. After all, this is why he courted and loved you: you are the most special friend he’s ever had.
So yes, apart from showing your feelings of affection, you can show your love the best by being his friend, that person he can talk to in his highs and lows, his partner in the things that he does, and most of all, his voice of reason whenever he feels in doubt.
7. Keep nagging to a minimum.
There are always instances when you want things to go your way, and you’d nag him into doing it. Well, you may want to keep the nagging to a minimum because not only is it annoying, but it also builds walls between you and your boyfriend later on.
Rather, you may want to be honest with him about your wants and desires, that some of these you can work into a compromise, and others cannot be negotiable because they are essential to your wellbeing. He may not agree on everything, but he’ll love you even more for seeing that you are able to respect him and the relationship even if things were not in your favor.
8. Maintain the person you are when he first fell for you.
Men like change, but are often resistant to change, especially when the change involves the woman they love. So yes, while you two grow up and mature in the relationship, you may want to keep some things as they are. These include the way you smile, the way you care for him, the way you feel giddy in the same manner you two first met. By keeping these things he cherishes the most, he would feel that you truly love and care for him, and he reciprocates all these efforts that you give.
We, girls, should not only focus on thinking about how our own boyfriend can love us more. Although guys may not explicitly demand more love from us, they definitely want to feel being completely loved by their own girlfriend too. Besides, a relationship is a partnership of love. We enter into a relationship not only to be loved but most importantly to give love. And the best way to love is to do it without expecting to be loved in return.
ALSO READ: 11 Inspiring Ways to Be a Better Girlfriend
