From A Guy’s Perspective: 25 Things That Will Really Solidify Your Relationship

1. Are you overwhelmingly proud, thrilled, and thankful to have this person as your partner in crime?

2. Do you talk about the future in a way that is at once comfortable, yet also not forcefully aggressive?

3. Do you guys have the same stance on PDA? (Hopefully, the stance is a negative one.)

4. Do your mutual interests coincide in a way that you can do date night activities based on them?

5. Do you have any problems with the way he/she conducts his or herself on social media?

6. Is one of you more comfortable saying the big, bad L word?

7. Are you both open and honest about past relationships, but not to the point where it becomes a semi-regular theme in conversation?

8. Have you guys created an environment in which it’s encouraged to be open and honest about what you each want in the bedroom?

9. If so, are you open to at least considering what he/she wants, even if you’re not totally into it?

10. Do you both have a support system (friends, family), outside of your relationship?

11. Is there a big free time discrepancy between you two? (I.e., is one working 60 hours a week, and the other unemployed, always waiting for the other to return home)? If so, have you been able to balance that in a healthy fashion, so neither of you become dependent on the other’s schedule?

12. Do you have a similar taste in music? If one of you enjoys blasting songs by Miranda Cosgrove, can the other at least tolerate it?

13. Do you address each other using terms of endearment that both of you are equally comfortable with using?

14. Do both of you have a similar stance on drugs, alcohol, etc.? If differing, is there any hint of implied peer pressure?

15. Does he or she take the time to actually listen to your long-winded stories?

16. Do you have an open and honest relationship when it comes to finances, be them mutual or otherwise?

17. Does he or she appreciate and genuinely enjoy your sense of humor?

18. Are some of your favorite moments with your significant other things that are, seemingly, wholly inconsequential? (I.e., an offhand quip, or a random funny occurance.)

19. Are you guys in agreement regarding the frequency/intensity with which you text each other?

20. If you’re in the same city, would you immediately look to end the relationship if one of you had to move to another city?

21. If long distance, do you have an actionable plan to reunite sooner rather than later?

22. Do you find yourself continuously pleasantly surprised by their charm, aura, and enthusiasm regarding your relationship?

23. If you’ve talked about kids, could you see them being a parent you’d be proud of having as a counterpart?

24. When you argue, are you both equally intent on figuring out how your relationship can grow and strengthen from the initial disagreement?

25. Is this person, ranked just below putting on dry socks after being soaking wet, your favorite thing in the world?