What should you look for in a life partner?

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Ladysphinx

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Okay I know I'm already married and all but this is aquestion my 22yr old cousin asked me today. She knows she wants to get married but like most don't seem to be making any good choices in bf's.

So I was wondering if some of the ppl on the forum has any ideas.
I told her that for one thing she has to choose someone that she will be able to live with his annoying habits for the rest of her life. If you can't stand that little annoying habit now or sort it out it's only gonna get worse. After 10yrs of marraige I will add that make sure that you have at least one intrest in common this will help you from drifting apart. If the person makes you feel like your less in the begining of the relationship, thats a good sign to leave NOW.
 
22 yr-old cousin, eh?

WELL honeysuckle. Send her my contact info!! ;) hehe

Seriously, though.. choosing a lifemate is such a complicated thing, especially since we all have different criteria and character traits that we look for in a partner. I don't know if this will help, but I'll go ahead and post my little list of "wants" in a potential marriage partner.

1. Loyalty. I give the utmost and I expect it back. I've never cheated on a girlfriend, not physically or emotionally. And I would require the same from any woman I wanted to marry.

2. Sex. Just being honest here; I need sex. Lots of it. Like once a day (or more, god willing). She needs to be sexually open (as far as new positions, crazy places, different ways, etc)... I wouldn't want any threesomes or stuff like that. I like messy, loud, slow, fast, crazy, lovey sex. lol

3. Intelligence. I'd want to have some serious discussions with her every now and then. If she can't offer her own opinion on, say, the Korean conflict and Chinese/U.S. Intervention throughout the modern era, then I won't even bother. Yeah, it's fun to just have light talk every now and then, but I need something deeper to stimulate my mind sometimes.

4. Communication. A relationship isn't going to work if the girl won't talk to me. I'm talking about serious communication. Open, honest, continuing communication. If she feels something's wrong with the relationship, she needs to tell me. If she doesn't like the sex, she needs to let me know. Things like that. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship, so... yeah this one's pretty obvious, I guess.

That's pretty much it, really. Other smaller things I'd look for would be a healthy body, a patient attitude (to put up with me! :p), similar interests, her own hobbies and friends, etc. But like I said, these are smaller things that aren't entirely necessary for a relationship... just... beneficial to one. The numbered criteria above are what I would absolutely require in a woman.

*shrug* Hope that sheds some light on the subject.
 
They should be respectful, but not a doormat.

You need at least a couple of common interests, and speaking from my brief experience thus far a similar world view seems preferable. I know they say opposites attract, and I hear a lot of people say it's best to date somebody different from yourself. I kind of think that line may have been influenced by the extreme end of political correctness. I can't imagine being with someone who wants to go to the mud bogs every year or who thinks a drunken bonfire is better than a good book. And I would probably vomit if I found an Obama bumper sticker on her car (or any other sleeze-bag politicians campaign sticker, for that matter). I'm sorry, but I don't see how living with someone you disagree with on most everything is a better choice than somebody you can live in harmony with.

Going a step further, me marrying a church-going Christian would just be disastrous.

Don't go for lazy piles, and don't go for felons. They are the dregs of society and deserve only scorn. You cannot fix them and they don't make good partners.
 
1) Someone you respect and admire, and who respects and admires you.

2) Must have a strong spine and be willing to stand up for their partner, no matter the cost.

3) Loyalty and devotion.

4) Common interests or willingness to try new things in order to establish some common interests.

5) Devoted to self-improvement and emotional growth.

6) Similar spiritual beliefs.

7) Able to laugh at themselves.

8) No anger issues. ZERO. The ability to actually HEAR what you're saying without becoming defensive and making it all about themselves.

9) Similar intelligence and intellectual curiosity levels.

10) Accepts you for who you are now, and who you will become over time. In turn, you must be able to accept them for who they are, and who they will become over time.

11) Similar senses of humor.

12) Has no problems with substance abuse.

13) Willing to seek counseling for individual and/or relationship problems, should the need ever arise.

14) Willing to put the relationship first.
 
Big Boobs! Just joking. Big beautiful eyes are nice though.

I can't speak for anyone else but myself. After much adult reflection here's some of my tops;

My #1 thing is be real, don't be a contrived pretentious fake who wears masks to attract someone. If you don't know who the fresia you are then stay out of relationships until you do. It's selfish to do anything different because I promise you your covers will get pulled off the bed sooner or later. You will be exposed, naked, the real person will come out always.

Loyalty, hands down. Men are like dogs, they'll be loyal to the end if you just treat them good and rub their belly once a day :p - Women, at least the ones I've met are only loyal to the fraternity of women, men although desired sexually are still the outsiders. Past that the women I've encountered are loyal to no one but themselves. That doesn't mean all are, I'm no pessimist but thus far that's what I have found.

intelligence, I need to have conversations with someone who can at least be interested in scalar physics, metaphysics or even Monty Python (comedy). Or at a minimum a person who loves learning new things as much as I do either alone or together. I'm attracted to Geek girls, really the inner geek!

Be equal! The bible is bullshit. No one has to be submissive (unless they like kink that is). Women have had centuries of male dominated religions, no wonder they take such solace in the girls club. Be equal! Say it again Be Equal! I'm not willing to baby sit my GF and constantly tell her what to do, that's the last thing I want. Who's got time for that?

Me time: Someone who will give me enough space as not to smother me without thinking there's another woman some where, I don't require tremendous amounts of me time but I do need some. I'm a song writer, it's the only passion I have in life. If you take that away from me I'm the equivalent of a flat inter tube. I was raised in a conservative family who knew nothing of the arts and was denied the only thing I ever wanted in life, that was to teach music. I declared my major my freshman year and was thrown out of my home onto the street, I was homeless the summer I graduated. Now I'm a man with a recording studio on a mission, lead follow or gtf out of the way :)

The Arts: I would probably have nothing in common with a bank manager.

Greed: If money is all you desire gtfo!

Humanity: Be compassionate toward your fellow human beings. Don't stick them on a line with a gun and tell them they cant be who they are between dodging bullets. Feed the homeless and lift up the downtrodden. Love your mother no matter how bad she angers you. Always question authority, it's your patriotic duty. Always have the ability to live in someone else's shoes, if you don't you're a selfish self serving ******* ******. Treat the elderly with kindness and compassion always, never break this rule.

Shallow people are the ultimate turn off, I don't give a flying rats ass what miley cyrus is smoking, who shes ******* or what her new tattoo says. Gibson not Prada, fender not Gucci, Libraries not Chanel, Dio not Dior.

Be yourself, Know yourself: I watched almost every female in LA for a year carry the same Gucci hand bag, baaaaa baaaaa. You don't need what everyone else has, the Kardashians is a ******* television show, it's not real. Know where the illusion starts not when it ends. Think for yourself.

Sex: Sex is fun, let go. Hang up's are a turn off. Passion is sexy and beautiful, making love is beautiful not bad or ugly. If you want to have sex with other people then let your significant other do the same. Don't be a selfish asshat and screw around in a magnanimous relationship. There's no excuse no matter what you're telling yourself, leave first, have some integrity.

Have a sense of humor, don't take yourself seriously. Laugh at yourself, we're all dumb asses at one time or another and it's funny.

Don't take your self anger out on others. Know the difference when you're mad at yourself or someone else.

If you haven't figured out the simple truth in life: You reap what you sow, what comes around goes around, you get what you give then get a clue. Everything you put out there will come back to you ALWAYS!

Say what's on your mind, if you can't and you get angry about it you're just a pathetic passive aggressive who can't ever be heard. Who's fault is that?

Don't be manipulative, it's easy to do without you even realizing it. Constantly take inventories of yourself to make sure you are being good to your partner.

Love: if you're not a touchy feely person then don't date someone who is. Seriously, take the Meyers Briggs and see if you're compatible. It costs nothing but 30 minutes of time. Men, go and hug your other half for no reason, just hold them for 2 minutes and connect. Sometimes people just need that, do it even if you don't want to.

Most importantly, be excellent to one and other and....... Party on Dudes! (and dudettes!)





 
Kindness, Truth and Beauty. And someone who will kill spiders in the house. That's all your 22 year old cousin needs in a partner. :)

Teresa
 
as far as interest go, i need a female version of myself. other than that she would need to be loyal and honest because i will be both of those. it would be great if they werent very shy because i will need someone who isnt shy to help break me out of my shell. i can be rather nerdy at times and think into stuff a lot so id like for her to be able to have somewhat intelligent conversations with me. i try to be considerate of people with different views and opinions from my own so i would like it if she was equally respectful in that department. as far as looks go im not very picky. i dont care if your a little overweight or even kind of too skinny for that matter. i like more of a plain look to be honest. i prefer beauty over "hot." i dont like fake anything on a woman really. just be you and be proud of it. basically i need a non-shy nerdy female version of myself as weird as that may sound.
 
Honesty and loyalty seem to be the number one. It is kinda obvious, but some of the other things are intresing to hear. Of course same religion and believe is also importend as is having good human traits.
I think finding a life partner, one you can live with for the rest of your life can't be easy. Especialy if you look at todays ppl.
 
I don't really have a pre-determined list of things that someone has to be....well, I have a few of things that they have to be, but not a whole big list.

1. Asexual! - I am never ever going to date another sexual man. Not fair to him, or me so screw it (pun not intended). This is non-negotiable.
2. Honesty, Trustworthy, Loyalty - I'm just going to throw that all into one. If you're not honest with me, you're not going to be trusted.
3. LETS HAVE STUFF IN COMMON - But not everything. That would end up getting boring at some point. Same interests sure but their hobbies, their friends, etc...I don't want everything to be the same.
4. Attraction - Not saying you have to be smoking hot, but there has to be some attraction there. Yes, even though I don't wanna "get it on" doesn't mean I don't like snuggling up with something I find cute :)
5. Intelligence - You have to at least be smart enough to carry on a conversation about something intellectual. I'd actually prefer this person to have college education, even if it's just a few years.


What are my chances of finding all of this? I don't know, but I'm not settling.


EDIT:

Also another thing:
6. I don't want kids, ever. I'm not going to get with someone who has them either.
 
I follow these, Care, Want and Need. Never sleep on an argument and always communicate with honesty. They should all work both ways.

Having said this it hasn't got me anywhere in the 6 years I been following them. I just get taken for granted.

It might be obvious but someone who wants to get married, and wants the same style of future as she does (I.e kids/no kids, both to work/just one work, big house/small flat, travelling/remaining where they are forever..ect).
 
What do you do if you have an argument but you're *reeeally* tired; having to get up for work the next day? :O
 
Limlim said:
What do you do if you have an argument but you're *reeeally* tired; having to get up for work the next day? :O

Personally I'd stay up until there was some sort of resolution (good or bad). If it's a big thing then obviously it might takes days, weeks to resolve. I met an 83 year old man years ago, he'd been with his wife for 62 years at the time. I asked how he felt and what was the secret, his words were ''I love her still of course, never go to bed in the middle of an arguement''.

I got a friend who argues with his girlfriend every time they get drunk. However there relationship isn't what I would call healthy. It took him months and months before she agreed to be with him, she used to see other people at the same time as seeing him, both get with other people when they arent around eachother and drunk. But hell it's his first, I can't disgrace it by pointing these facts. He says he is happy. I've also seen other friends and their parnters argue, and they got so caught up none of the arguements got resolved. Each one lead to a new one without coming to some commun ground in the previous arguement. which is why I've followed his advice. I could be blind, as I've said my 'rules' i've followed never have got me anywhere. :) But I sure hate arguing however I also believe a healthy relationship has them.
 
Limlim said:
What do you do if you have an argument but you're *reeeally* tired; having to get up for work the next day?

I'd make an agreement to put it on the shelf for the night and pick the argument back up in the morning (or after work the next day)... and then ACTUALLY DISCUSS IT. Most arguments seem silly and petty the next morning anyway, so it's sometimes easier to get through things if you have time to cool off.

Sure, you might be on the couch for the night (if it's THAT big an issue), but once you've talked about it and worked out some compromise, then things will be alright again.

*shrug*

It's all about communication.
 
maan, this thread made me blue and pensive! some men say that women don`t know what the hell they want from a man. that can`t be true all the time, but sometimes.....:p
i personally think that you should look for small things. you can`t have it all, so you ought to settle for little pieces.
i`d go for these:
1. communication. i can`t be with a man (supposedly for the rest of my life) that would not talk to me. sadly, my current boyfriend is a mess. he grew up in a messed up family and he really, i mean REALLY has no communication skills whatsoever. he tries very hard, though and he opened up a bit lately. (i`m still not sure if this will be enough though :/)
2. passion. sex is very important. and i don`t mean dull, "i already know your body" sex. i mean passion. of course, it would be very unrealistic to claim that one should and could have sex daily. but still. i had only one partner open for experiences and to be really passionate about it all. so much for the "guys only want sex" myth :D
3. common interests. i really think we should have something to speak about and common hobbies. we won`t be young forever and i would feel ridiculous not to have a single thing in common with the guy. like for example, i`m an outdoor person, it would be a mess to marry a city boy; i like to read and watch science tv, so it would be a masochistic thing to date/marry some superficial dude babbling about dolce sweaters, the weather and our next door neighbor's kick ass car. just some examples. :rolleyes:
4. humor. he should know to laugh at himself/the world/at me/at nasty situations/etc. i wouldn't bear to lift another man up, kill myself to make him feel happy and to spend every single day of my life trying to convince him that life is beautiful.
5. a job. i know it must sound silly, but i wouldn't marry a jobless person. you can judge and call me anything you like, but i think that a man without a decent salary, or at least a way of making some money is a bit off. i`ve been with jobless men and it ain't pretty. i don`t discriminate, i think this would go for women too, but i personally, would need some proof that the man i`m marrying would be able to provide his share of the money/material honeysuckle we so much need in this era we're living in. don`t get me wrong, i don`t want a rich fella. i just want someone that could be my social equal.

and these would be my small pieces i would look for in a man :)
......but anyway, love is absurd, so i might as well fall in love and disappear in the sunset with a silent, stubborn, depressive, non communicative, suicidal, sexually idle, jobless genius artist :D:D
 
Women should date that beta male guy friend that has a crush on them and would do anything for them. And she should deprive sex from him until he looks exactly how she wants him to, like he gets in the bodybuilder shape, kills his acne, buys the right clothes, gets the right haircut, and the whole 9 yards.

Instead of doing this, most females date "alpha" (or gamma) jocks, studs, and thugs and try to "tame" them and try to change their personalities, and then they are upset when they end up heartbroken, or worse, with fatherless kids. 100% of my female acquaintances (including female cousins, female friends, etc...) have had their heart broken by a "hot" gamma male that they thought they could "tame", at one point or another. Much easier to take a beta male and toughen him up and make him look good, much more practical too.

Actually I know a nerdy (not fat at all, just small and geeky) girl who I think has great potential for marriage, and I almost have her converted to my thinking. I actually trust her more than some of my guy friends. Recently she's been asking me how to improve her looks, so I plan on bringing her to the gym with me so she can get muscular legs and butt, and she should her grow long hair, and soon I will be buying her new sexy clothes and a nose-stud, so she can eventually look like one of the Jersey Shore girls.

It is expected that she will hold me to the same standards looks-wise (muscles and such) and if I do marry her, then I will protect her and provide for her for the rest of my life to the max. We will work together to keep our looks (and thus sex life) in tact for as long as we can. If we take the bullshit and drama out of romance, then I hope that we can run the marriage like a successful business. She will never be without anything she needs, nor will she ever have to worry about anything bad happening to her. And if she wants some sappy romantic scenario done for her, I will ensure it is done.

I hope this plan works out.
 
SocratesX said:
Women should date that beta male guy friend that has a crush on them and would do anything for them. And she should deprive sex from him until he looks exactly how she wants him to, like he gets in the bodybuilder shape, kills his acne, buys the right clothes, gets the right haircut, and the whole 9 yards.

Are you being intentionally obtuse?

If a woman withheld sex from me in an attempt to change me I'd tell her to fresia off; and rightly so. No one should have to change to fit another's needs. If she really wants an "alpha" guy (assuming that I'm not one), then there are plenty of those cookie-cutter bastards out there to supply her needs.

I am who I am and I love being who I am, flaws and all. If a woman can't handle that, she can enjoy that long cab ride home. Life is too short to submit to a woman's wishes for pussy. I personally believe that many (most, all, every) woman would like to be with me. Maybe that's arrogance, maybe it's confidence. But that means in my mind there are plenty who'd take me just as I am.

But then I guess I'm not a ALPHA SUPER GOD so what do I know?
 
I agree with everything in the first post of this thread. I'm already married, but if something ever happens and I find myself single, my next partner must be VERY open-minded about sex and want it on a semi-regular basis. Otherwise, everything in the first post applies to me. :D
 

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