Your Husband's Needs and Wants

One of the most important parts of your marriage is learning to understand what your husband wants - and what he needs as well. Knowing what husbands want is integral to a happy, successful and long-lasting marriage. The following guide will help you understand what husbands want and how to respond to those needs and wants for a happier marriage.

Friendship and companionship

Husbands want both friendship and companionship from their wives. While your friendship with your husband will be different than, say, his friendship with his guy friends - it is still a friendship that he needs, wants and generally craves. A solid friendship with your husband means that he will be able to come home, talk about his day, share his interests, and confide in you while knowing that you will be there for him.

If you want to ensure that your relationship is happier and more long-lasting, then make sure you consider your husband’s needs and wants in your relationship. Understanding these needs will allow you to meet them and acknowledge them in a way that shows your husband you appreciate, understand - and love - him.

Gestures of appreciation for what he does

Husbands want to be appreciated for what they do, whether that means fixing broken appliances, mowing the lawn, running errands, or something else; your husband’s desire of appreciation for everything he does in the household or relationship is definitely one of the needs that you need to meet. Gestures of appreciation can include something as simple as a literal “thank you,” all the way to making him breakfast in bed when he’s been up all night fixing the plumbing or making sure there’s cold lemonade waiting when he’s coming in from mowing the lawn.

Acceptance of who he is without trying to ‘mold’ him

It can be tempting to try to change our spouses into someone we want them to be, but husbands (and wives, for that matter!) don’t want to be “molded” into somebody that they’re not. Your husband wants to be accepted for who he is, rather than viewed as a project to be fixed or molded to suit your needs. Of course, you don’t have to roll over and accept bad habits - accepting your husband for who he is means accepting that he may not be into nights out at the theater or he isn’t big on constant family parties. Compromises should be made of course - a good spouse will always grin and bear it once in a while to make their spouse happy - but you shouldn’t make changing your husband a lifelong project.

Regular physical intimacy (including the kind that leads to sex)

Your husband wants to have regular physical intimacy, including intimacy that leads to sex. Physical intimacy can include something as simple as being able to wrap his hands around your waist to kissing and of course, sex. Husbands tend to showcase their affection through these types of intimate gestures, so they are key to keeping the spark alive.