the good bits about being in a relationship?

[Heeebeegeebees]

Can anyone tell me what they love about dating or being in a relationship?

I was trying to formulate a list in my head of what I want from a boyfriend in the short term aside from sex so I can pick one who makes me happy as the last few haven't.

I seem to find the sex bit without a problem, but in terms of all the rest, what's the wonderful bit about having a boyfriend that makes you happy?

Being a couple, the special unique intensity of it. It's quite a leap of faith and hugely rewarding.

The emotional intimacy. Always having someone on your side and having someone to share things with.
I love sharing simple things like meals and catching up after work.
The physical side. Kissing, hugging and holding hands. Sex.
Being special to someone
Sharing things you might be worried about
To name a few things

For me it's about support and teamwork... someone who sees you are having a hard day/feeling ill/stressed by something who will do something to make you feel better/make life a little easier. Someone who will run me a bath and tell me to take an hour to myself to de-stress, who will cook dinner for me and have a glass of wine waiting when the kids are stressing me out. But also some one who will celebrate the good bits too... someone to turn to and smile when a DC gets a good school report, or performs well on stage. Someone to laugh with at the end of the day about the silly things the toddler did or said that day. (Note: my DP is not children's father, but equally invested in their happiness as me).
I like the companionship and friendship aspects too, but I get that from family members and friends. A relationship for me gives you the added support and teamwork feeling that you can't get elsewhere.

All of this is only good if you are with the right person. It's a bit catch 22. You never quite know how it will pan out when you first get with someone.

Hmm?
My GF gets me I guess. She puts up with my misanthropic tendencies, listens when I rant about crap. Laughs at my dumbass jokes etc.
She'll be sat peacefully playing some crappy FB game on her tablet, I'll suddenly grab her knee and squeeze it, she then tickles me till I cry.
We've been together only 4 years we have a beautiful little girl. We've never argued as we both agree that nothing is important enough to argue about.
She backs me up, but reigns me in if I go to far too. She supports my great ideas, smiles and nods at my OK ideas and tells me not to be a dick if I have a bad idea. We don't really do anything together, but we do everything we do do together. I put up with watching Corrie, though I like it too but wouldn't tell her. She has tonput up with my MLP fandom, though she likes it but won't admit it. We both love Jeremy Kyle and both love watching rage inducing benefits programming on Channel 5.
I'm so considerate to her that I drive her mental, she's not. But she not selfish, just doesn't cross her mind. Like earlier I bought chocolate, but knowing she prefers hers from the fridge and I prefer mine room temp, I bought 2 bars, 1 in the fridge, 1 in the cupboard.
Because she gets up at 5 to go to work, I make sure the kettle has water and her cup and tea bag is ready before I go to bed. When I do go to bed I get undressed downstairs so that my rustling clothes don't wake her when I go up.

She's my greatest ally, dearest friend and the only person I would trust with the secrets of my mind.

Other than that, i don't know really?

Seeyounearer that is so lovely

Aww, seeyounearer! Your OH would be so chuffed if she read that!

I wonder if she knows you put water in the kettle for her. That is so lovely!

I'm interested that you feel the need to ask
I've had some lovely relationships but overall I enjoy being single much more

Harshly, I thought my partners weren't giving me enough freedom
They were, I'm just not a relationship person
Something that was non negotiable was that they be a proper grown up. Nothing worse than someone who can't help out when you're ill etc because they don't know their arse from their elbow, sorry to say I have seen a lot of that.

Sorry, just realised you said "short term" which may be a different thing entirely.

Seeyounearer that is so lovely
Thanks

Aww, seeyounearer! Your OH would be so chuffed if she read that!
She doesn't need to, quite often when she goes to bed at 9.30 and I stay up I leave her little love letters where she'll find them. Under the kettle, under her phone, in her tablet cover etc.
Yes, soppy man me. lol

Seeyounearer, I'm single if things ever go pear shaped with you and your OH

In all seriousness, that's lovely - I hope she knows how lucky she is.

Probably not, but I know how lucky I am. :)

I think not taking each other for granted is a good footing. She works, I don't, its my job to make sure she has no issues other than worrying about work.
I also make sure she spends plenty of time just her and DD, I use it as an excuse to go out alone for a bit of me time, coffee in town, bit of shopping etc.
We just work.

After my hormones disappeared with menopause, I realised that relationships were nature's way of making sure we reproduce. It's like I've regressed to age 10 when boys still had cooties.

But my relationships have turned out crap so what do I know.

God this thread has made me cry!
Im middle aged mother of 6 & have never felt what these posters describe.

The good bit about my marriage, now that the DCs are on half term are the cuddles in bed in the morning with my DW because we don't have to get up and rush to get the DCs to school.

Magiccatlitter "After my hormones disappeared with menopause, I realised that relationships were nature's way of making sure we reproduce"

this made me LOL. That said, I don't have children and never wanted them so for me it was a different motivation entirely. I do think it's interesting that that motivation waned as I got older (now 40) but even when 20, I couldn't cope with a relationship where the person got a bit co-dependent even though some considered that normal.

I guess I think it's about what it brings to your life and whether or not you want that.

I have had some hormonal motivations though - with relationships where i wonder how physical attraction kept us going for so long!!

I'll be honest, when work is busy and I want to support my colleagues who are great, I do find myself wishing that I could just stay at work as long as I need to and not need to go home to see dh and ds and try to be a mother and a wife. Most of my hobbies - OK, reading and watching crap - are quite solitary and don't improve with conversation.

BUT tbh if I died tomorrow, one of my colleagues might come to my funeral, and they would all feel a bit sad for a week or two and would be more stressed because there woudl be more work until they recruited someone else. If I died tomorrow, DH and/or ds would be devastated. If anything happened to either of them, I would be destroyed. There is only one place I'm indispensible but having one place and two relationships where I am indispensible is special.