An ideal romantic relationship thrives on love, respect, attention, and recognition, amongst many others.
These are the continuous and conscious efforts that make a relationship remain as evergreen and fresh as it was at the beginning.
However, as the relationship progresses, it’s possible for partners to “lose guard” and become complacent.
This is often due to overfamiliarity.
He’s seen all of you and now doesn’t think much of you.
If your boyfriend begins to let go of the key things he did and was to you when he was wooing you or when you newly started dating, chances are that he is taking you for granted already.
How then do you tell that your boyfriend is taking you for granted?
Here are some likely signs your boyfriend is taking you for granted:
Signs Your Boyfriend Is Taking You For Granted
1. He waits for you to reach out first
If he stops being eager to reach out to you and always waits for you to do the reaching out, he may be taking you for granted.
He doesn’t text first and always claims to be busy.
If he used to respond promptly to your calls and messages but now takes an eternity to respond to them, giving one excuse or the other, you’re probably being taken for granted.
2. He stands you up every time
Every time you’re supposed to meet up, you’re always the one who has to wait for him to show up.
He shows up late always and doesn’t even give a heads-up prior to the time.
Worse, he doesn’t bother to apologize for being late; instead, he acts like it’s normal.
If you frequently find yourself waiting around for him, then he may be taking you for granted.
3. He never says ‘thank you’
If you’re feeling unappreciated by your boyfriend and you have to remind him always to acknowledge your efforts, then he has now started underrating your labor of love.
He probably even tells you to your face that if you didn’t do it, who would?
He overlooks and undermines your contributions to the relationship and doesn’t even bother to say ‘thank you.’
At this point, it’s safe to assume that he is taking your presence in his life for granted because he has become literally entitled.
4. He makes plans without you
If your boyfriend does not ask for your opinion before making plans, he might be taking you for granted.
He doesn’t even include you in such plans.
You probably only hear about it from third parties.
For instance, he’s booked a flight to travel out of town for a while, and you’re just getting to know on the date of his departure; it’s quite understandable if you feel taken for granted.
Or he makes plans for the two of you without consulting you first; he’s probably seeing you as a ‘choiceless’ girlfriend.
It’s different if it’s a once-in-a-while surprise plan, but when it becomes habitual, it’s plain rude.
5. He stops dressing to impress you
It can be a tad hurtful to observe that your boyfriend doesn’t care to pay attention to his dressing when he knows he will see you.
You didn’t spring a surprise on him, yet he made no single effort to dress to impress you.
This is a sign that he doesn’t give much thought to what you think of his appearance and doesn’t anticipate your compliments anymore.
Ouch! I’d be hurt if I were in your shoes.
6. He doesn’t keep to his word
If your boyfriend makes promises and breaks at will, and it becomes a habit, the era of being taken for granted might be here.
He raises your hopes and dashes them.
He stops being reliable, and you don’t even know what to expect of him; even when you think you know, he always disappoints.
This is a clear sign that pleasing you is no longer a priority to him.
7. He ogles other ladies in your presence
Imagine you being with your guy, and he stares at other ladies in a lecherous manner.
I doubt if there is any lady who wouldn’t find that disrespectful.
It’s one thing to look; it’s another to stare.
Such an act can only come from a guy who takes his woman for granted.
It’s either he doesn’t mind losing the woman, or he is certain she’d stay no matter what.
8. He doesn’t prioritize you
Every other thing in his life now comes before you.
He prioritizes his work, his hobbies, and his friends over you.
He only squeezes out some little time and other resources for you after many complaints from you.
He doesn’t mind how you feel because he has become used to this arrangement.
9. He stops making sacrifices for you
Sacrifices are part of a solid relationship and it’s unhealthy when they come only from the girlfriend alone.
When your boyfriend, who used to go miles for your sake, now drags his feet to move an inch for you, he is definitely taking you for granted.
Don’t they say love is sacrificial?
We may not get all we want from a partner but at least we should get some level of selflessness and effort from him or her.
Why then has he suddenly stopped doing things for you except it costs him nothing, if not that he underestimates your presence in his life?
10. He pays no mind to your appearances
You would want your man to notice some unusual details about you without even having to overtly call their attention to them, wouldn’t you?
You’ve had a change of hairstyle, and for days, your boyfriend hasn’t noticed.
You’re moody while he keeps rambling on and on about himself, but he doesn’t observe or wonder what’s the matter with you.
Even when you drop hints, he still doesn’t catch them.
Worse still, if and when you now expressly call his attention, he simply waves it aside like his lack of observation is nothing.
He gets miserly with his compliments and positive remarks about you.
11. He stops expressing affection
It’s natural for couples to express their emotions in words and actions toward each other, but when those gestures suddenly disappear from him, it’s a clear sign that something isn’t right.
He stops telling you how much he loves and admires you or how attractive you are to him.
He no longer hugs you without being asked to do so or holds your hand in public like he used to.
It could even be as small as not doing the little things he used to do for you, like bringing you a cup of tea or coffee without being asked.
No more random hugs and kisses.
12. He cheats
If your man has taken you for granted in many ways and you have remained in the relationship, he might begin to cheat on you.
The assurance that you would accommodate his many disrespectful acts will make him cheat and not make much of it.
Many infidelity stories started this way.
I mean; if you value your partner and your relationship, you won’t want to ruin your things by stepping out of the relationship with someone else.
13. He doesn’t want to settle quarrels
No matter how sweet your relationship is, you will surely have some disagreements.
But if your man has taken you for granted, he won’t want to settle quarrels between the two of you.
He might even go further and pick up a fight with you instead.
He would think his opinions matter more than yours and will not want to see it the other way around.
If any or many of these points strike a familiar chord, it’s probably time to sit down and do some re-evaluation of how you want to be treated by your man.
You might want to jolt him back into action by teaching him a lesson or take a hike if he doesn’t budge.
If he changes, great for you!
There shouldn’t be better yesterdays, only better days ahead.
The ball is in your court.
