15 things good husbands never do

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A good husband is many things; he’s loyal, caring, and loving. But there’s a lot that he works hard to avoid, including being unfaithful or disrespectful toward his wife. 

And the truth is, it takes a lot of work to show up every day and be your best self in a marriage. 

So, if you’re on the fence about whether to marry someone, or you’re already committed and want to make sure your husband is treating you the way you deserve, this article will clear up any doubts!

Here are 15 things good husbands never do:

1) They never cheat 

First up, one thing good husbands never do is cheat on their wives! 

One of the most important aspects of making such a commitment as marriage is promising to be faithful – never going behind your wife’s back.

Whether that be emotional or physical cheating, a good husband respects his wife enough to resist the potential temptation! 

And talking about respect

2) They never disrespect their wife 

We’ve already covered that good husbands don’t disrespect their wives by cheating on them, however, there are other factors to consider, such as:

  • Never humiliating her (especially in public)
  • Never crossing the limits of her boundaries 
  • Never swearing or belittling her 
  • Never dismissing her feelings or opinions 

The truth is, respect is crucial in a marriage. Without it, it can lead to a breakdown in communication, loyalty, and ultimately love. 

So, if you’ve got a husband who never does the above, I’d say you’ve found yourself a good man

3) They never put their needs first 

Now, another thing good husbands never do is act selfishly and put their needs before the needs of their wives and family. 

But I want to be clear:

A good husband isn’t a complete pushover either. All of us have important needs that should be prioritized, especially when it comes to mental health and well-being. 

The point I’m making is that a good husband will always do what’s best for the unit; his family. He won’t selfishly prioritize himself unless it’s absolutely necessary! 

4) They never lie or deceive 

And in the spirit of doing things for the well-being of the marriage, a good husband will never lie or deceive his wife.

When it comes to finances? He’s upfront and honest. 

When it comes to where he’s going for the weekend? He gives her all the details.

Even when it comes to seemingly innocent white lies, good husbands know that it’s best to be truthful so that small lies don’t grow into bigger ones! 

5) They never dismiss their spouse’s opinion

Another thing good husbands never do is brush off the opinions of their SO. 

This goes back to having respect – even if they don’t agree with what their wife says, they respect her right to have an opinion and have that opinion heard. 

The truth is, there are always going to be disagreements in a marriage. It’s normal and healthy even. 

But how people navigate those differences is what makes the difference between a successful marriage and an unhappy one! 

And on the subject of successful marriages, this next point is extremely important:

6) They never refuse to compromise 

Anyone reading this who is married will know the importance of compromise! 

And that without it, the marriage is doomed to fail. So another thing that good husbands never do is refuse to compromise. 

They don’t make demands and expect their wives to fall in line. 

They know she’s an individual with her own needs and desires. Sometimes, he’ll need to give in and meet in the middle, just as sometimes she will have to do the same. 

But that’s not all…

A good husband compromises without resentment! He realizes it’s a part of life and he embraces the challenges that come with it. 

7) They never put their spouse down in public 

We’ve all been there – you’re at a work party and your colleague’s husband is slating her in front of everyone. He acts like he’s joking but you can see the pain and humiliation behind her eyes. 

It’s horrible to watch, and even worse to experience. And it’s most definitely something a good husband would never do. 

The bottom line is:

In a marriage you’re a team. You’ve got to have each other’s backs, especially in public.

8) They never hold their wife back 

Good husbands never hold their wives back from achieving their goals.

They don’t belittle or mock their dreams, and they certainly don’t forbid them from pursuing their careers. 

A good husband will support his wife just as she supports him! 

And in today’s day and age, there are plenty of men who are opting to stay home with the kids to support their wives as they go on to have successful careers. 

Whatever the setup is for each individual family, the most important thing in a marriage is knowing your partner is rooting for you to succeed in whatever makes you happy! 

9) They never ignore their spouse’s feelings 

And just as good husbands never dismiss their wives’ goals, they also never ignore their feelings!

A good husband will listen to his wife’s feelings. He’ll do his best to understand why she feels that way, and he’ll make the changes necessary to get back on track. 

But that’s not all…

A good husband will also share his own emotions; he won’t bottle them up or leave his wife in the dark. 

And that’s because:

10) They never stop improving themselves 

That’s right, good husbands never stop working on their own personal development.

And that includes emotional intelligence. 

You see, a good husband recognizes that to show up in his marriage and be the partner his wife deserves, he needs to understand his own emotions as well as hers. 

He needs self-awareness and empathy. And the only way to achieve these qualities is to never stop improving who he is! 

11) They never criticize their wife’s appearance

Another thing good husbands never do is criticize their wives’ appearance. 

How we look in the eyes of our loved ones means a lot, so to hear that you’ve put on weight or that you’re looking run down from your husband can hurt. A lot. 

With that being said, in a healthy marriage where communication and honesty are key, a good husband should be able to talk to his wife when he’s concerned (i.e, if she’s looking tired all the time). 

A good husband knows that his wife’s physical appearance has little to do with the strength of their marriage – it’s the person underneath that he’s invested in! 

12) They never hold their wife’s past against her 

It’s highly unrealistic to expect your wife to be a virgin with the past of an angel behind her (especially since most men don’t wait around for marriage either)…so another thing good husbands never do is hold their wives’ past against her.

And I don’t just mean when times are good – even during arguments, it should never come up. 

The truth is, when you share your past with someone, you’re opening up to them. You’re displaying vulnerability because you trust them.

So to have them throw it back in your face at the first opportunity shows they have a lack of respect (and maturity). 

A good husband would never do that because he’s wise enough to know that her past doesn’t have any significance on their marriage! 

13) They never invade their spouse’s privacy 

And just as a good husband would never throw his wife’s past in her face, he also would never invade her privacy.

That includes:

  • Reading her messages 
  • Going through private folders/letters/emails 
  • Going behind her back to find out information about her 
  • Keeping tabs on what she’s doing or where she’s going 

Look, there’s no denying we live in the age of information. It’s easy to get into your spouse’s inbox and see who they’ve been chatting to. 

But a good husband knows that above everything, he needs to trust his wife. And he needs to respect her privacy.

By breaching it, he’s directly disrespecting her and this could very well lead to the end of the marriage

14) They never avoid important conversations 

Difficult but important conversations are inevitably going to crop up in the course of a marriage…

  • How many kids are you going to have?
  • Who’s going to take in the elderly in-laws?
  • When’s the right time to end the family business?

The list could go on, but these types of conversations are never fun to have, especially if there are opposing opinions. 

But that’s where a good husband shows up.

He doesn’t hide from these discussions, nor does he make them into huge dramas. He’s mature enough to know that it’s best to work as a team with his wife to come to a solution! 

15) They never stop fighting for their marriage 

And finally, good husbands never stop fighting for their marriage (unless it really is over). 

What I mean by that is if there’s still love and respect on the table, you can bet that that man will do whatever it takes to make his marriage work.

He knows that every marriage goes through rough patches and that with a little bit of patience and a lot of hard work, he can push through toward happier times with his wife. 

He’ll do everything in his power before giving up.

So, if you’ve recognized these qualities in your husband, go and give him a big hug and thank him for being such a wonderful husband…

The truth is, marriage is hard. You’re never going to get a “perfect” husband who ticks every single box. But if he ticks most of them, you’re onto a winner! 

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Kiran Athar

Kiran is a freelance writer with a degree in multimedia journalism. She enjoys exploring spirituality, psychology, and love in her writing. As she continues blazing ahead on her journey of self-discovery, she hopes to help her readers do the same. She thrives on building a sense of community and bridging the gaps between people. You can reach out to Kiran on Twitter - @KiranAthar1.

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