At first glance, you may think knowing when a man does or doesn’t respect you is easy.
Unfortunately, relationships are not that straightforward because emotions are involved, and emotions sometimes blind us from seeing what we need to see.
But we all know how important respect is in a relationship.
So, how do you ensure you have that respect?
This article has the answer: I will show you nine things he will do if he respects you.
9 Things A Man Will Do If He Respects You
1. He Will Prioritise You
Many times, people get into relationships and let the relationship take a back seat to other things after a while (usually after the honeymoon stage wanes).
We will not discuss the dynamics of the honeymoon stage, as that would derail the point of this post.
However, I need to emphasize that when a relationship settles into reality and becomes grounded, it doesn’t mean there’s fire on the mountain.
It’s just the natural progression of things when you become comfortable around each other and have become friends, not just lovers.
But, if your man no longer prioritizes the relationship, there is a problem.
It could be due to many reasons, but one is usually a lack of respect.
If he respects you and your place in his life, he will make time for the relationship and will not let other things take its place.
This doesn’t mean you will be joined at the hip 24/7.
After all, he will still go to work and have time with his friends and family.
If you love and respect him as well, you wouldn’t want that.
However, he will not make you feel neglected because he respects where you stand in his life.
2. He Values Your Opinion
This goes without saying; if he doesn’t value your opinion, what exactly do you mean to him?
When we are in relationships, we should be able to add value to each other’s lives, and I mean this in the most basic sense.
So, it’s not a good sign if he never asks your opinion or doesn’t listen when you share.
Yes, you are not God, so not all your opinions will be wise or valuable.
But a man who respects you will discuss matters with you, listen to you, and consider your point of view.
If he disagrees, he’ll explain respectfully why he wants to take another route.
He will not make you look stupid or never consider you when making major decisions.
3. He Will Not Lie To You
Some women erroneously believe that men lying to them is a sign of respect.
Previously, I used to feel like a guy hides certain things from you to protect you and I associated that with respect.
Thankfully, I’m older and wiser now, and I know a man lying to your face is a sign of disrespect.
There’s nothing respectful about keeping information that you need to know away from you and allowing you to live in deceit.
No, if he respects you, he will want you to know what you need to know so you don’t appear delusional or stupid.
He will respect you enough to keep you in the know and let you make your decisions based on that.
4. He Will Make You Feel Secured
If you doubt where you stand in a man’s life, it could be that you don’t stand anywhere in his life.
But first, let’s not rule out the place of personal insecurity.
If you have unresolved insecurities, no amount of reassurance will satisfy you; you’ll be paranoid, controlling, and possessive.
In this case, I’d advise you to heal first before considering a relationship.
However, if you don’t have personal insecurity but are unsure where you stand in your man’s life, there’s a high chance he doesn’t love you or respect you.
A man who loves and respects you will make you feel like the only woman in the world.
He’d protect you and stand up for you.
He’d stand ten toes behind you, and you would never be in doubt about what you mean to him.
He won’t let anybody disrespect you because he respects you in your presence and absence.
This is why you should also watch out for how his friends and associates relate to you.
If they don’t respect you, chances are he doesn’t, so they don’t feel a need to.
5. He Will Never Try To Control You
When people try to control another, it’s because they feel like they cannot make their own decisions.
Either they are children who cannot be trusted to make the right decisions, or they are seen as immature people, and this applies to adults as well.
There’s honestly no two ways about it: if your man is controlling, that’s how he sees you.
Of course, he could have other underlying issues, like being a narcissist or insecure and is afraid loosening his leash on you will make you leave.
But it still boils down to the fact that he doesn’t respect you enough.
If he did, he would not want to control you because he considers you a fully developed and functioning adult who knows what she’s doing.
Even when you make mistakes, you can bear the consequences, learn the lessons, and move on.
So, he will respect your decisions, especially as it concerns you.
This doesn’t mean he wouldn’t disagree with you when he thinks you are doing something wrong.
We have already established that when you respect someone, you value that person’s opinion.
This works vice versa.
Even in cases where he disagrees, he will trust you to do the right thing and not force his opinion on you.
6. He Will Open Up To You
A man who respects you will be vulnerable to you and let you see him.
He will open up his wins, failures, strengths, and weaknesses to you.
He knows you won’t hold them against him because he trusts you to handle them well.
7. He Will Not Be Jealous Of Your Success
If your man respects you, he will not be jealous of your success.
Instead, he will be your biggest cheerleader.
In fact, you’ll find that he believes in you far more than you do in yourself.
He will push and encourage you to achieve your dreams and never let yourself be mediocre.
This is because he doesn’t consider your success a detriment to his; he considers it a compliment.
8. He Will Respect Himself
Have you ever wanted to do something, but remembering someone in your life who you know would disapprove puts a restraint on you?
That’s the same way a man who respects you will be restrained from acting out even in your absence.
You will always be at the back of his mind, so he will carry himself well because he knows what he does reflects on you.
He will not put himself in positions that will bring disrespect your way.
More importantly, he won’t cheat on you.
9. He Argues Healthily
When people don’t respect their partner, they don’t disagree graciously.
That’s when you find them throwing insults because they want to communicate their grievance.
This is different if a man cares for you; he will not cross the line.
Even when he is angry, he will communicate it without pulling you down with words or actions.
The bottom line is that respect is born out of trust and is an offshoot of love.
So, a man who respects you loves and trusts you.
Therefore, he will treat you with care.