The Boyfriend Commandments

Sometimes you do have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince, and hopefully this list will help lead you out of the swamp! These are just some basic rules of thumb I, with the help of my friend Sagery from Associated Content and my own boyfriend, have come up with as standard behavior for a new boyfriend. If he's not meeting these basic requirements, odds are he isn't deserving or appreciative enough of you for you to keep him around, and you should take serious inventory of the relationship, and whether or not you should pursue it further with this person.

He should call you his girlfriend if you are calling him your boyfriend.

If he's your boyfriend, you should know where he lives, and he should know where you live too.

He should take a genuine interest in your life, and what you like to do or think about.

He should know a few of your hobbies, and either try them with you, or merely appreciate that you have them.

He should ask you how your day went, and honestly respond to let you know he was listening.

He should always call you back within an hour or two unless there are extenuating circumstances like: A) I was at work B) I was in a car accident C) I didn't pay my phone bill so service was cut off. There are more reasons you should be willing to listen to with proof available, and an apology for taking so long to return your call.

He should introduce you to his friends, because if you don't know his friends you probably aren't his only girlfriend. You should know who he hangs out with, and what group of people he associates with if you're going to be a significant part of his life.

He should call you once a day, or text you regularly.

He should miss you when you're gone for a long time.

He shouldn't be afraid to take phone calls in front of you, and answer simple 'oh who was that' questions without getting all shifty eyed, and calling you paranoid.

He should be able to miss one of his favorite team's games for you once in a while.

He should know when your birthday is, or have it written down somewhere

He shouldn't push you away when you're trying to show affection.

He should show affection regularly, and every once in a while surprise you with a token of his affection.

He should also appreciate your affection, and any surprise you may give him as a sign of your own feelings as well.

He should hang out with you during normal dating hours (read: after work or on the weekends, but before the 11 pm booty call)

He should not block you from his myspace or facebook profiles because he doesn't want you seeing all the people he flirts with.

He should never badger or critique your appearance, what you eat, weight, choice of clothing, or tell you how to live your life, unless there are valid concerns for your health or safety.

He should know your goals in life, and some things you want to accomplish in the future.

He should stand up for you if someone hurts your feelings, even if its his mom and she's drunk.

He should never, EVER make fun of you in front of his friends. The bro's before ho's mentality is a slogan for single miserable guys who only wish they had a girlfriend as great as you.

I hope these hints have been informative and helpful, and if you found them humorous that's awesome as well! My friends and I have all been in situations like these during some of our bad relationships that have thankfully ended, and we have all grown from our mistakes enough to avoid people like this in the future. So if you notice any of these situations happening regularly in your relationship, you might as well take a nice long look at who you're with, because it may be time to make a change. Stand up for yourself and demand the best behavior from your boyfriend, because if you don't do it for yourself, why would anyone else?