How many times have you come across men who do not dress up properly at public places? Not only is it slightly embarrassing for himself, it can also come off as rude and unpolished, depending on circumstances. Wearing flip flops to the night market or when he’s grocery shopping is perfectly okay, but when he’s going out to dinner with you at a fancy restaurant, he’d look utterly sloppy in flip flops.

Before you misinterpret the title of this article, we’re just going to put it out there. No, these aren’t tips to turn you girls into overly dictating partners who order their boyfriends or husbands around. Instead, we’re sharing with you five things you should encourage your lover to learn, not for your own benefit, but for him to better himself and to encourage him to become a better man. Here are the basic things we believe every good man should do.

1. Manage his finances

It’s important for every man to have a fund set aside for when it is needed. It could be used for emergencies, to pay for a down payment for a house, to buy a car, to be used for travelling or even to be saved up for retirement. However, unfortunately, many men do not take seriously the importance of saving up money for their future. What you can do as a couple is to encourage each other to be stricter about expenses and learn to spend very wisely so that a fraction of the money can be put aside at the end of the month. Better yet, do it at the start of the month so that you know not to touch that sum of cash at all.

2. Use proper skincare products

Many men do not find the need to care for their skin and they’d only regret it much later in their lives. Believe it or not, some grown men do not even cleanse their faces with proper facial wash everyday. Hence, as females, we should encourage them to properly care for their face by introducing products to them and teaching them how to utilize these products. They may turn you down at first, but persist and remind them that it’s going to help them get better skin at the end of the day. At the very least, encourage them to use a proper facial cleanser, facial scrub, toner and a moisturiser.

3. Learn to cook

We’re not asking him to follow after professional chefs you see on television, but every man should know how to whip up some wholesome food in his kitchen. If he’s never stepped into the kitchen, encourage him to do so by cooking together as a couple. It could be a fun activity for the both of you and he could learn a skill or two along the way. It’s really not that difficult for him to learn how to prepare some breakfast or some simple dishes for dinner. Plus, he’ll definitely be satisfied with himself after he successfully learns this new skill.

4. Dress appropriately

How many times have you come across men who do not dress up properly at public places? Not only is it slightly embarrassing for himself, it can also come off as rude and unpolished, depending on circumstances. Wearing flip flops to the night market or when he’s grocery shopping is perfectly okay, but when he’s going out to dinner with you at a fancy restaurant, he’d look utterly sloppy in flip flops. However, don’t tell him what to wear. Instead, give him some options and tell him that he’d look good in those clothing for that specific occasion. Encourage him to learn about dressing up appropriately because at the end of the day, what he wears reflects on himself and not on you.

5. Clean up after themselves

You’ll be surprised with the number of grown men who do not know how to clean up after themselves, especially at home. Most of the time, they’re either lazy or they just don’t find the need to do so. To make him learn, do some cleaning around the house together and make it a fun experience for him. Teach him how to use the proper cleaning tools and gadgets, if he doesn’t already know. It could be something as simple as washing the dishes right after a meal, or even keeping the floor in his bedroom free of dust and dirt. Whatever it is, every man should have that sense of responsibility if they want to better themselves.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.