I grew up with an older brother and briefly lived with a male roommate, so I can confirm that living with a guy is a VERY different experience and you learn a lot about them once you do it. I asked women in the BuzzFeed Community to share what they’ve learned about men after living with them. Let’s just say some of the answers I got made me both giggle and nod in agreement. Here’s what some people want to say.
Note: Some answers have been edited for length and/or clarity.
via Will Heath/NBC
one.“Even though we both live in the same house, in the same kitchen, he still can’t get shit. Or I can’t put him where he goes for the six years we’ve been living here, and now I can’t either.” I couldn’t find. “Really, my love, the casserole is in the same cupboard, on the same shelf, as always.”
—catnelsonl
2.“I’ve found that men are loud. Really loud. They’ll yell at the TV even if no one’s finished. It’s hilarious but also annoying.”
-Anonymous
3.“The amount of time they spend on pointless activities like playing video games or hanging out in the garage with their gadgets. I’m not sure how much time can be spent in the garage or the bathroom. It blew my mind.”
4.“I’m a registered nurse, and when my boyfriend and I started living together, I noticed he wasn’t washing his hands very well. I witnessed him wash his fingertips for what seemed like only three seconds, and BOOM, he was done! He still does this today; it’s gross to me. Also, wipes or tissues.” “He also prefers to sneeze his snot into his face and not hold the sneeze unless he is near a tissue.”
—Leksi, 31
5.“He has no skin care routine. My husband rarely washes his face (he rarely breaks out) and doesn’t use any lotion. It’s maddening. I wash my face morning and night, then use serum, eye cream, and moisturizer. I go out, get out of the shower, and have to cover myself with lotion. How does he do it?” “I don’t see how it doesn’t look or feel like Death Valley.”
—tiapo92
6.“He’d tend to the Legos and dust bunnies behind the couch in the family room, let alone the living room or dining room where we’d entertain. Thanksgiving? Time to tidy up the deck or porch so no one gets to do anything. Midwestern pace. Birthday party? Party Better tidy up the garage, even if it’s in the back!”
7.“So many things get lost or broken when it comes to guys. I’ve had three male roommates, all at different times, and several of my plates and cutlery have disappeared. I also didn’t wash dishes until there was nothing left to eat with. Buy a brand new flatware set “I bought it so I had forks and spoons. Plus, they all did laundry, like, EVERY DAY! What were you doing every day? When my last roommate moved out, my heating bill increased dramatically. Although 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 vulgar as you can imagine. I remained friends with a male roommate after he broke up with his girlfriend, a friendship he encouraged when they started dating, mind you. He was upset that we were still together. Even though he never came to our house, he was so upset that he turned off his 72-inch television.” “He moved it from the living room to the bedroom, and I couldn’t watch it. Needless to say, that meant our other male roommates were no longer available. I had access to the common room television.”
“Our other male roommate couldn’t stand the confrontation and left what he thought was a dirty (clean) baking pan on our coffee table for three weeks as a sort of ‘lesson’ for him to clean up after me. It was clean again, and it was my pan to begin with. He finally asked me why he left it there and just Instead of talking to me, he sent me an eight-page text message (pre-smartphones) detailing the lesson he was trying to teach me. He was one floor above me when he sent the message. Men. Shh.”
-Anonymous
9.“They’re so careful! I’m always filled with water, my socks on, and the lights are on before I know I need it. I have NyQuil with me when I start feeling stuffy, and if I get stuffy, my coffee is waiting for you.” I get up early in the morning. Every year we live together, everything gets better. I never knew men were this careful. Also, how can they notice that my cotton pads are decreasing but I can’t see all of their facial hair? to throw?”
-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 because he sleeps in them (yes, I wash them regularly!), and I had to throw out a cute upholstered headboard at night because When he touched his hair, there was a trace of oil. I learned to always buy him a green toothbrush, otherwise he won’t remember which one is his and accidentally uses mine. Also, men can love cute things as much as women. When we adopted our first kitten together, he was obsessed too! I really like the weird decor I placed in our house. “He’s enjoying it.”
11th.“How can they turn off their brains! I always have an inner monologue and thoughts running a mile a minute, but my husband and son can 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 of pee. I don’t miss it.”
14.“I grew up with my brother and my father. I always thought that I would never want to live with a boy again, for ‘usual’ reasons. My now husband is nothing like the men I grew up with. We are completely in agreement on how we like to live and run the house. Shaving the beard , no arguments about the toilet seat, dirty dishes, etc. Peaceful and relaxed. I have learned that a healthy relationship with good communication means there is no need for unnecessary tension. If I don’t like him leaving his socks on the floor, I tell him and he puts them in the basket. Incredibly respectful, around He’s very different from the men I grew up with.”
-Anonymous
15.“Men get their sense of value from different things and in different ways than women. They want to know that the things they do, no matter how small (work, accomplishment, effort) are seen, appreciated, and that you respect them. IT.”
-Anonymous
16.“My husband is much more organized than I am. When we were dating, I didn’t even realize how sloppy I was until we moved in together. He may not be aware of it, but that awareness is what motivated me to be more organized and continue to be, almost 13 years later, thanks to him.”
-Anonymous
17.“So I just got married and prepared based on the horror stories my friends told me: ‘They don’t clean, they don’t cook at all, they just watch TV, etc.’ “Here’s what I see when I come home after a LONG day. My husband had cleaned, cooked my favorite meal, and given me a massage while I watched TV.”
Is there anything you learned about men after living with them? If so, share it with me in the comments below!