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13 Real Women on Their Biggest Relationship Pet Peeves

It’s not that you don’t love your spouse. But over time, the qualities that you once thought endearing become the things that drive you—LYMI—kind of batty. Here, 13 real women sound off on their biggest relationship pet peeves.

6 Things Real Women Wish They Knew Before They Got Married


dad doing laundry
Twenty20

“My husband does multiple loads of laundry using up all the baskets and then just lives out of them for weeks without folding or putting away his clean clothes.” — Michelle, California

dishes and fork
Twenty20

“When my husband washes the dishes, he’ll do them all except for one fork left in the middle of the counter. I should probably just appreciate him doing the dishes, but one fork. Come on!” — Judith, New York

water pitcher
Twenty20

“My husband never (ever) puts the Brita water pitcher away after using it. This means that every time I go to get a glass of water, it’s warm or, worse, empty.” — Diane, Maine

alarm clock
Twenty20

“Every morning, my husband snoozes his alarm repeatedly even though I’m the lighter sleeper and he has to be awake a full 90 minutes before I do.” — Julie, Washington, D.C.

date night
Twenty20

“My husband takes longer than me to get ready for a night out…and he’s bald!” — Kristie, Massachusetts

dishes by sink
Twenty20

“After my husband eats, he never puts the dishes in the sink. He either leaves them exactly where he ate or places them near the sink, but never in the sink or dishwasher. He also leaves half-drunk bottles of water all over the apartment and then complains there is no cold water in the fridge.” — Dabee, New York

couple watching tv
Twenty20

“When we’re watching TV, my boyfriend likes to talk about a plot twist as it happens—which means I always miss the next batch of dialogue and have to pause and rewind. I actually have to remind him to hold all commentary until the end.” — Carolyn, Arizona

toothpaste sink
Twenty20

“My husband spits toothpaste in the sink and never rinses it down. Then, it dries there.” — Katherine, Ohio

pocket change
JosephJacobs/Getty Images

“Hands down: Pocket junk. My boyfriend leaves receipts, coins, gum—you name it—sprinkled over every surface as though catchalls don’t exist.” — Sarah, Kansas

cleaning counters
Twenty20

“When we cook—say, chopping vegetables for a soup—my husband never cleans up with a paper towel or cloth. Instead, he wipes the counters down using his bare hand. Of course, crumbs and peels are left behind. He looks at it as efficient. I look at it as double the work.” — Melissa, California

putting stuff away
Twenty20

“My husband has so many questions about where things go when he’s putting stuff away that I’m like: ‘Ya know what? I’ll do this myself.’” — Jennifer, Florida

shoes by door
Courtneyk/Getty Images

“My fiancé leaves every pair of shoes he owns by the door—even though there’s a closet for shoes right there. By the end of the week, if I don’t put them away or yell at him, there are ten pairs of shoes next to the door.” — Lindsay, Pennsylvania

baby eating
Twenty20

“My husband always has to use the bathroom as soon as one of the children needs something gross attended to.” — Jillian, New York



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Rachel Bowie

Royal family expert, a cappella alum, mom

Rachel Bowie is Senior Director of Special Projects & Royals at PureWow, where she covers parenting, fashion, wellness and money in addition to overseeing initiatives within...
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