I grew up with an older brother and lived with a male roommate for a short period of time, so I can attest to the fact that living with a man is a VERY different experience, and you learn a lot about it once you do. I asked women from the BuzzFeed community to share what they learned about men after living with them. Let’s just say that some of the responses I received both made me cackle and nod in agreement. Here’s what some had to say.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Will Heath / Via NBC
1.‘I don’t understand how we both live in the same house, with the same kitchen, and he still can’t find anything. Or put it away where it’s been for the six years we’ve lived here, so now I can’t find it. Seriously, my love, the Crockpot is in the same cupboard on the same shelf as always.”
—catnelsonl
2.“I’ve noticed that men are loud. Very loud. Even when no one is by, they’re yelling at the TV. It’s so funny and annoying at the same time.”
-Anonymously
3.“The amount of time they spend on mindless activities like playing video games or just hanging out in the garage with their tools. I’m not sure how much time they can spend in the garage or on the toilet. It blew my mind.”
4.“I’m a registered nurse, and when my boyfriend and I moved in together, I realized he wasn’t washing his hands very well. I watched him wash his fingertips for just three seconds, and BOOM, he’s done! He does Still to this day; I think it’s so disgusting. He would also rather sneeze snot on his face and not hold the sneeze in when he’s not near tissues or napkins.”
—Lexy, 31
5.“No skin care routine. My husband rarely washes his face (he rarely gets pimples) and doesn’t use any lotion. It’s maddening. I wash my face morning and night, followed by serums, eye creams, and moisturizer. I go to outside in the shower, and I have to slather myself in lotion. I don’t know how it doesn’t look or feel like Death Valley.”
—tiapo92
6.“No matter in the living room or dining room where we would entertain, he went to the Legos and dust bunnies behind the couch in the family room. Thanksgiving? Time to clean up the deck or patio so no one is due to Midwest -temperatures. Birthday party? You better get the garage sorted, even if the party’s in the back!’
7.“How many items get lost or broken when it comes to guys. I’ve had three male roommates, all at different times, and some of my plates and cutlery just went missing. Plus, no washing until there’s nothing left to eat with . I ended up buying a whole new set of cutlery, so I had forks and spoons. They also did all the laundry, like EVERY DAY! What were you washing every day? When my last housemate moved out, my heating bill dropped dramatically Although I still “I’m still good friends with my last roommate, I’m happy to have my own space again.”
8.“I learned that men can be as petty as you can imagine. I stayed friends with a male roommate’s girlfriend after they broke up, a friendship he encouraged when they started dating, mind you. He got upset because we still hung out even though she never came to our house. So angry that he moved his 72″ television from the living room to his bedroom so I couldn’t watch it. Not to mention that This meant that our other male housemates no longer had access to a communal television.”
“Our other male roommate couldn’t handle confrontation and left a cookie sheet that he thought was dirty (it was clean) on our coffee table for three weeks as a kind of ‘lesson’ to clean up after me. Again, it was clean , and it was my pan to start with. Finally, he sent me an eight-page text message (pre-smartphones) explaining why he left it there and what lesson he was trying to teach me instead of just talking to me. a floor above me when he sent the text. Guys. Smh.”
-Anonymously
9.“How thoughtful they are! I always have a full bottle of water, socks on my feet and the light comes on before I notice that I need it. There is NyQuil next to me when I just start to feel stuffy and there is coffee waiting when I get short of breath.” I have an early morning. Every year we live together, it gets better and better. I never knew men were so observant. And how can they notice if I’m running low on cotton pads, but can’t see all the beard hair in their beard? sink?”
-user name
10.“Men’s skin can be so oily that it damages the fabric. My husband showers every day, but the white sheets turn yellow over time (yes, I wash them regularly!) when he lies in them, and I needed a cute upholstered pillow throwing away the headboard because it had a grease stain on it from his hair touching it at night. I have learned to always buy him a green toothbrush, otherwise he won’t remember which one is his and will accidentally use mine. Men too can love cute things just as much as women do. When we adopted our first kitten together, he was obsessed! He really enjoys the whimsical decor I put into our home.”
11.“How to turn off their brains! I always have an inner monologue and thoughts running a mile a minute, but my husband and son can just decide to turn off that part of their thought process.”
—abbye4227fbd92
12.“They have no idea how the menstrual cycle works, and female anatomy in general is foreign to them.”
—lemonkitty
13.“I grew up in a house with three boys. I had to hide food deep in the pantry if I didn’t want them to get to it first. The bathroom always smelled like pee. I don’t miss it.”
14.“I grew up with older brothers and my father. I always thought that after that I would never want to live with a boy again for the ‘usual’ reasons. My current husband is nothing like the men I grew up with. We are yes.” very much in line with how we want to live and run our household. There is no arguing about beard shavings, toilet seats, dirty dishes, etc. It’s peaceful and comfortable. I’ve learned that a healthy relationship with good communication means that’s not the case.’ There doesn’t have to be any unnecessary tension. If I don’t like that he left his socks on the floor, I just tell him and he puts them in the basket. He is incredibly respectful, very different from the men I grew up with.”
-Anonymously
15.“Men get their sense of worth from different things than women, and in different ways. They want to know that the things they do (work, achievements, efforts), no matter how small, are seen and appreciated and that you respect them because of it. .”
-Anonymously
16.“My husband is a lot neater than I am. I didn’t even realize what a slob I was until we moved in together when we were dating. He may not be aware of it, but that realization has motivated me to be neater , and thanks to him, almost thirteen years later, I still am.”
-Anonymously
17.“So I just got married and was prepared for the horror stories my friends had told me: ‘They don’t clean, never cook, just watch TV, etc.’ So I come home after a LONG day at work, and what do I see? My husband had cleaned, cooked my favorite food, and given me a massage while I watched TV.”
Is there anything you’ve learned about men after living with them? If so, share it with me in the comments below!