3 Things Long Distance Love Taught Me About Men!

It was more than two years ago on a dreadful Sunday morning in an overcrowded Mexican airport that I said goodbye to my boyfriend. It turned out that goodbye was just the beginning of several more heart wrenching goodbyes over a period of more than two years. We had flown to Mexico for his brother’s wedding, and after an entire night (yes Mexican weddings really do last the entire night) of dancing & drinking, we made the somber drive to the airport to part ways. I was headed back to the states, and he was headed to an island far, far away.

We eventually settled into a routine which consisted of nightly phone calls and daily emails. We tried to see each other every few months and eventually the time passed. Now we are finally going to be by each other. However, when I look back on all the tears, the arguments, and the painful goodbyes, I realize that being in a long distance relationship has taught me not only a lot about my boyfriend but about the male perspective in general. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1) Men are sensitive

We all know that men show emotion differently than women. However, this should not be confused with thinking that men don’t feel the same emotions we do; they just display their feelings differently. In my relationship, for example, it’s usually my boyfriend who ends our phone calls, and well being a girl, I could talk for hours upon hours on the phone. My boyfriend will usually say something to the effect of “ok honey I need to get going.” To this I usually respond by saying, “no, 2 more minutes.” Well funny thing is that when I decided to stop trying to keep him on the phone, he actually felt sad. He kept saying “ok I’m really gonna get going” and I proudly kept saying “ok I’ll let you go then.”

After repeating this cycle for a couple minutes, I realized that my boyfriend was waiting for me to say “no, 2 more minutes.” See, my boyfriend likes knowing that I need him and miss him; he just doesn’t say it directly.

2) Men think you’re beautiful even when you don’t agree

Couples separated by a long distance relationship often use a webcam in order to stay in touch. When my boyfriend and I decided to give the webcam a try, I would actually spend a lot of time doing my hair and makeup as though I were going on a real date. With time, I began to realize that even when we chatted first thing in the morning when my hair was scary and my eyes were puffy, my boyfriend still couldn’t stop telling me how beautiful he thinks I am.

Of course your man wants you to take care of yourself, and he certainly appreciates your effort. The point, however, is that he loves you and thinks you’re beautiful no matter what even when you first wake up.

3) Men care a lot about your opinion

Your man would probably never admit how much your opinion affects him, but I can guarantee you that it does. You’re likely the person that he feels closet to so it only stands to reason that your opinion is extremely important to him. If my boyfriend, for example, says something that makes me laugh, then he will repeat it on other occasions just to hear my laughter again. He feels powerful when he can make you laugh, and he wants to know that he has that affect on you.

Your boyfriend is probably not going to parade into the living room asking “does this shirt make me look fat,” but I guarantee he feels good when you compliment him.

In conclusion, these are the top 3 things I’ve learned about men from being in a long distance relationship. I hope they help you to understand the male perspective a bit more. Just don’t let my boyfriend know that I am on to his secrets!