Moving in together has a way of revealing things you never noticed while dating. There's something about seeing a person in their everyday environment that tells you who they really are.
User galwiththedeepvoice on Reddit asked, "What positive traits did you discover about your S/O that you only found out after moving in?" and the responses range from everyday acts of kindness to suprising skills:
Note: Some responses are also from additional Reddit threads
1. "He is wildly clean and thoughtful. Dude sits to pee because he understands gravity, and if he doesn’t sit, he wipes the base of the toilet every time. Magic."
2. "Honestly, my hubby just loves quality time, and it’s incredibly sweet. We sit down to dinner together every night, no phones, and talk. Even if it’s takeout. And even if I’m watching some bad reality TV, he wants to sit next to me on the couch, even if he’s on his laptop doing work."
3. "He sings quietly to himself when he thinks I can't hear. I can't describe how happy it makes me."
4. "When he’s home, he always comes to meet me at the train station after work, even though it's only a five-minute walk away. No matter the weather and without being asked. It always makes me smile after a long commute. He gets me flowers on a random weekdays without needing a special occasion, even after living together for a year. In general, a lot of sincere romantic gestures."
5. "How calm he is. For example, he can spill a gallon of milk. He doesn't yell. He simply shrugs and gets a broom. Neither my father nor my previous spouse was ever this calm. Spilled milk would have involved yelling for a mop or being yelled at for spilling the milk. I am thankful my daughter gets to grow up with such a level-headed guy."
6. "How much fun we have together doing simple, seemingly mundane things. We can literally laugh our butts off doing nothing."
7. "He farts a lot, but somehow they never smell. I don’t understand."
8. "That my fiancé is incredibly handy. I knew he was handy, but I thought it was mostly small screwdriver-type work. He was able to fix our 10-plus-year-old water heater so we could avoid replacing it for at least another year. He has replaced so much old stuff in our house, which has saved us a lot of money on contractors."
9. "How much of a geek he actually is. But I love it, and it brought me back out of a shell I retreated into. Now our house is full of Warhammer, Lord of the Rings and Stitch, and hobbies are embraced, not ridiculed, like in a previous relationship."
10. "His creative side. I knew he liked to write, but he has tons of scripts and screenplays he's always tweaking and working on. He's a huge cinephile. He also expressed a desire to learn guitar one day, so I bought him one for Christmas. He's been constantly practicing, and he's getting quite good."
11. "How he was exactly the same person he was when we didn’t live together. Even better, actually, because I was able to see how responsible, involved and attentive he was every day single instead of just on the weekends we spent together."
12. "How he does housework without being asked. Dishes, laundry, cleaning the litter box, etc."
13. "He's an amazing cook."
14. "He prepares a cup of tea so when I walk in the door from work, he just has to add boiling water and it's ready. He's made me a tea each afternoon for 10 years, without being asked."
15. "He wakes up an hour earlier than he needs to just so he can hang out with me in the morning."
16. "If he gets home from work before me, he usually goes to play video games until I get home. And when I do, he always comes out of our office, throws his arms up in the air, says my pet name super loud and bear-hugs me. It makes me feel so loved and wanted."
17. "That there still wasn't anything particularly annoying about him. Whenever I'd lived with anyone else, there were always a few major points of contention. With my husband, we just continued to enjoy each other's company."
18. "His sense of aesthetics is phenomenal. Everyone was always like, 'Make sure you don't let him turn the place into a man cave!' and he comes in and says things like, 'That vase would really make the dining room pop more if it had yellow flowers instead of purple,' and 'Here, let me reorganize your bookshelves so they look sophisticated and professional instead of just rammed in there randomly.'"
19. "He can fold fitted sheets. By himself. And they look like neat little squares that fit in the cupboard properly. It's been a year, and I am still in awe."
20. "How tender and caring he is when I’m sick or on my period. I have adenomyosis, so I’m in pain pretty frequently, and he is always is looking for ways to ease it."
21. "I’m an only child and have spent lots (and lots and lots) of time by myself. And I really enjoy, seek out, and need alone time. But gosh, is it nice to have the person I love most in the world to come home to. Sharing my space doesn’t exactly come easy to me, but it’s so worth it. It’s been a decade, and it has been wonderful. I love his presence in our home. I get butterflies when he’s on his way from work. Life shared is magical."
22. "I moved in one year into our relationship, and I already knew about his amazing communication skills, but he definitely dialed it up at that point. He's never afraid to address issues before they become problems by regularly sitting down and asking me if there's anything that's been bothering me lately, even if only fleetingly."
23. "He doesn’t watch sports. No, I am not making this up. Once a year he might turn on golf, but other than that, I was quite shocked to learn he has zero interest in any sport."
24. "He love, love, loves my dog. He claims he never wanted a dog, but he calls her his baby and his princess, and they have scheduled snuggle time every day. He is really just an animal lover in general."
25. "How peaceful our home is. I grew up in a chaotic environment, and it seemed like I could never truly relax. Walking on eggshells with my parents, having to read their moods, etc. When I moved in with my fiancé, it was so different it almost scared me. But now I appreciate it so much. I love coming home. I no longer dread coming home. It is a safe space for both of us."
26. "He dances all the time. I thought he was just trying to romance me by dancing with me in the kitchen randomly. But no. Seven years later, and he still breaks into dance all the time — while gardening, cooking, cleaning or playing with the dogs. Standing together discussing what yard improvement to make next? Good chance we do a little dance."
27. "How easy it was — way easier than living with my sister. Less arguing and just incredibly easy and simple. He was always willing to split household chores, even when he worked more than I did."
28. "I found out he can bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch. And they are good. He learned from watching his grandmother as a kid."
29. "How compatible we were and are. My ex did not ever use the toilet brush, even when I asked him to, arguing that 'someone else will use the toilet anyway' — at my house. Biggest nope ever. My current partner and I compromise and are open to listening to each other."
30. "He carries me to the bedroom if I fall asleep on the couch."
31. "He always fills both of my water bottles and puts them in the fridge every night, so the next morning I can just grab one and have chilled water for the rest of my day."
What's a positive trait about your partner that you discovered after moving in with them? Let us know in the comments or via this anonymous form!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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