1. He is passionate
The biggest way to tell the difference between a boy and a man is to gauge his passion. Does he want to sit on the couch all day and play video games? Or does he have goals and hobbies he spends time on? A good boyfriend is a passionate boyfriend — one who knows what he wants and goes after it.
2. He lets you know where you stand
Shitty boyfriends do things on purpose that make you feel insecure about the relationship. Good boyfriends do not play games. If a guy can’t have a conversation with you about the status of the relationship he is (repeat after me) NOT a good boyfriend.
3. He plans dates
I’m a modern woman and I plan dates in a relationship, but I refuse to plan ALL of them. That’s not sexy! A good boyfriend knows that for the health of your relationship you need to do things that aren’t sitting on the couch with Netflix at least once a week — and he makes sure that happens.
4. They laugh WITH you
A sense of humor is an essential quality in a long-term partner but having one doesn’t mean someone is a good person or a catch. It’s easy to have a nasty sense of humor that relies on tearing others down. A good boyfriend is one who induces belly laughs, but ones you feel good about. You’re laughing together, not at the expense of each other.
5. He supports you
A bad boyfriend is jealous or competitive, he doesn’t get excited when you try new things or go after a big goal. This is immaturity. A good boyfriend is your biggest fan. He genuinely wants the best things to happen for you and he’ll support you in new ventures even if they seem weird or scary at first.
6. He doesn’t blow off your texts
Yes, sometimes people are away from their phone for an entire day. No, they aren’t away from it for multiple days (unless it’s a prearranged vacation). They can see a text and respond to it instead of blowing it off or feeling claustrophobic about it. There’s also the option to say, “I am busy, we’ll talk later” or “I don’t really enjoy texting, let’s talk in person soon.” It’s really not rocket science.
7. Your parents love him
Sometimes your parents hate a guy (or most guys) you’re dating and you don’t get it — but after you breakup it snaps into perspective: they can see something you can’t.
8. He’s rarely jealous
Jealousy can be flattering, it means that he views you as a prize he is protective of, but it only happens often with immature boyfriends. Good ones trust you and have spent the time and effort to build a healthy relationship they don’t have to constantly worry about. It just wouldn’t occur to him that you’d even want to cheat.
9. He returns the favor
We all know what I’m talking about.
10. He’s a “good fighter”
Every relationship has fights, it’s unavoidable. But there’s good fighting and bad fighting. Bad fighting is a guy (or girl) who flies off the handle and gets angry for very small reasons. It’s also the person who makes everything about themselves and needs to win an argument (while making the other person look and feel bad). Good fighters care about the outcome, they just want to compromise and resolve the tension while finding a solution that makes your relationship stronger and happier.
11. He’s a genuinely good person
It might seem corny to have “what do you want out of life?” conversations, but this is the kind of guy that actually has an answer. He is a deep thinker and wants to do good in the world and cares about self-improvement and being a decent human being. You know he’s a great guy to be partnered with because he’s only going to get better with time. 
