Women Who Grew Up Without Guys Around Share 50 Things That Genuinely Surprised Them About Living With One
Living with someone teaches you things that advice alone can’t cover. Even if you think you know a person well, sharing a home often reveals small, let’s call them “quirks” you never noticed before.
If you didn’t grow up around many men, moving in with a boyfriend, husband, or male roommate can bring even more surprises. Everyday life can suddenly feel different, from big meals and odd bathroom habits to strange noises and random thoughts.
When Reddit users were asked what surprised them about living with men, they shared moments that caught them off guard, made them laugh, or left them wondering if this was normal. Here are some of the most unexpected things they discovered while sharing a home.
One of the most interesting things about living together is seeing how men and women can think so differently, even in the same everyday situations. It really shows how our minds work in unique ways, and that’s pretty amazing.
The most noticeable skills of the male mind may be the ability to sit quietly and seemingly think about nothing. However, “nothing” does not always mean the mind is empty. When there are no outside demands, spontaneous thoughts like memories, plans, images, and random ideas can come up without any clear purpose.
This helps explain the common exchange: “What are you thinking about?”, “Nothing.” The mind can drift between different thoughts without focusing on any one thing long enough to describe it. At those times, a man might truly have nothing specific to share, even though his brain is still active.
The amount a young man can eat. I grew up with a sister and all my local cousins were girls. When I first started dating my boyfriend he’d make a plate with like, six corn dogs easy. He’d eat an entire pizza. I was floored.
I thought the whole “women can’t open jars” thing was a dumb stereotype. We never had a jar we couldn’t get eventually! But then I saw how easy it is for men…
In reality, two things could be happening when thinking about nothing. One is that we might be thinking about completely random things that don’t really occupy our minds. We can actually release a lot of tension through this not-thinking.
Sometimes, what fills our minds has nothing to do with what’s happening around us. Our thoughts can jump from memories to future plans, social situations, or random ideas, without following the logical order someone else might expect.
This is why someone might stare at the television, sit on the couch, or wait for coffee while their mind drifts through a string of random thoughts. There’s no problem to solve and nothing important to share. The thoughts just show up, connect to something else, and fade away.
As a man raised with 5 sisters, I never realized they held me to their standards. When I first moved out at 18 with four other dudes for college. I was disgusted how my bros got down. Paid extra for the masters so I could have my own bathroom. Their girlfriends would always ask to use mine because I actually cleaned it.
My ex couldn’t understand why nicer toilet paper was important to me. During my period, nice toilet paper is significantly better for cleaning up. He didn’t have to deal with that aspect and had just wanted to save some money.
The other possibility sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. There is another side to this. Sometimes, a person gets so caught up in a worry that it is hard to focus on anything else. When worries and rumination take over, it can be tough to shift between different thoughts, especially if those thoughts are about personal concerns.
So the same “nothing” can sometimes hide the exact opposite experience: too much happening inside. A money problem, relationship trouble, or tough choice can take over a person’s thoughts, even if they are not talking about it. Saying “nothing” might just be an easier way to answer a question that feels complicated.
My dad grew up with sisters & had only daughters. He had a strict rule that we always had to close the toilet lid after using the bathroom. Part of his reasoning was that it took gender out of it, the rule applied to everyone.
When I moved out, I knew that men often leave the lid & seat up, that part wasn’t a surprise. What stunned me though is how intensely men will fight in favor of leaving it up. The germs alone should be reason enough! Ew!
The noise. breathing, walking, opening a bag of chips, it all sounds louder somehow. nobody warns you about that.
That reluctance to explain what is happening inside can become even more complicated when social expectations enter the picture. The American Psychological Association describes a “man box” that values emotional stoicism, dominance, self-reliance, and rejects traits linked to vulnerability. Boys often face these pressures from a young age.
Niobe Way, PhD, a developmental psychology professor at New York University, has studied boys’ emotional development for decades. Her research shows that boys do not naturally want to keep their distance. In fact, many boys want close connections, but cultural expectations can make them hide this need or see emotional openness as a weakness.
Grew up in a woman-only family. Thought men’d be way more stubborn about favors in the house than they are. From the sitcoms I thought if I asked a guy to get me a glass of water he’d bite my head off for being a nag! Turns out they do it on autopilot. Can you reach this for me? No prob! Do you know why the toilet isn’t flushing? I’ll get it!
Casual requests mean nothing to men when figuring out whose responsibility fixing the garage light in my all girl family was a political campaign with actual factions. And if you thank the guys nicely for doing what you asked they preen like peacocks. Seriously, genuine thanks makes them light up like Christmas trees. And you praise them for doing a good job? Men love that so much!! So much easier than I thought. Like yeah men are stinky and gross compared to women and they do NOT know how to decorate the house, but theyre basically like slightly more capable big dogs that if you keep their needs met just want to watch tv and cuddle. 8/10 would recommend.
How they apparently “don’t notice” when something needs to be cleaned or done.
Like I cannot comprehend how you don’t notice the floor needing to be swept, or the stove is dirty after cooking, or the counter needing cleaning, or the dishwasher needing to be ran because it’s FULL.
Genuinely can’t tell if it’s weaponized incompetence or if they just walk around with blinders on and really just don’t notice messes?? idk.
Edit: so this is based of my personal experience, per the question posed in the thread. My ex had two dude roommates before I moved in with him and they were all like this. My husband is also like this.
Now admittedly I am not a perfectly neat and tidy person, either. Our house is cluttered and messy (two animals, toddler, my ADHD) BUT there is a big difference to me between something being a bit messy and being visibly *dirty*.
Like, a few crumbs in the floor is whatever. But when the pet hair starts piling up and there is noticable dirt and debris on the floor, it’s time to sweep. If there are rings in the toilet bowl, time to scrub it. If there are hair trimmings on the bathroom counter after you shave, wipe them up. The stove does need to be cleaned every time because otherwise splatter just gets more and more caked on and harder to clean and it’s just gross.
The issue I have is that none of these things got done without me pointing it out or doing it myself.
And I totally get this isn’t gender specific and there are plenty of women out there who are total slobs. I do feel like the scale is tilted though. And again, this is just based of my personal experience and stories shared from other women I know.
Sorry to all the bros in the comments having to deal with this from your ladies, I feel ya.
The pressure to stay composed in everyday situations often lingers even after you get home. Work and responsibilities can drain your mental energy, so it’s important to take time to unwind. Taking a break after work is closely linked to feeling less tired, so this quiet time is more than just a personal choice.
When someone comes home, drops their keys, and spends half an hour in silence, that quiet time can be helpful. They might just need a break to leave work behind before starting the rest of their evening. A short stretch without questions or decisions helps create a clear line between work and home.
How much space they take up. Not necessarily in a bad way. I just mean they’re not afraid to be loud, advocate for things that work best for them, do things on their own schedule or their own way.
I took some of these things into my professional life and it’s actually been quite helpful, but it reminds how differently men and women are socialised.
He doesn’t want to chat when one of us is using the bathroom! I’m used to continuing a conversation even when on the toilet, but he is weirded out by it.
Also he’s SO tidy. .
After getting used to a small moment of quiet, almost any private space can feel helpful. Privacy can support things like thinking, independence, recharging, recovery, and letting go of stress. In a busy home, even a closed bathroom door can give you a few minutes when no one needs anything from you.
This might be why the bathroom can feel like a surprisingly appealing place to escape. The draw is not really the room itself, but the chance to be alone for a while. When you sit down and close the door, no one asks anything of you. For people who need some time alone, this short break can feel very refreshing.
I grew up with 3 sisters and when I went off to college I was in a mostly male friend group and I could not believe how mean they were to each other. Like almost to the point of egging friends on to do incredibly dangerous things.
Dude runs at like 98 degrees constant heat output sharing a bed is basically sleeping next to a human furnace especially in summer where i’m kicking blankets off and he’s burrowing deeper into them like a mole. but honestly now that we’re older i kinda miss it because my side of the bed is always freezing and he radiates warmth like a space heater that actually works so yeah annoying during july but nice during january lol.
Eventually, all those private habits become visible when two people share a home. Each person brings their own routines, like how much quiet time they prefer, when they want to talk, who does which chores, and what they think is clean enough. What seems normal to one person might seem strange to someone who grew up with different house rules.
A study from the University of Padua in Italy found that past relationships and living situations can influence how couples split up chores later on. The research shows that marriage and living together often come with different ideas about who should do what at home.
People do not just share a space; they also bring their own ideas of what home should be.
The stupid little tiny hairs that go absolutely everywhere when he shaves. And this is after he’s made a good faith effort to clean them up.
Of course, none of this excuses bad habits. Even if some men may have a higher tolerance for mess or different standards of cleanliness, living together still requires respect from both sides. Sharing a home means considering how your habits affect the person next to you, and mutual respect should always come before personal preferences.
Maybe the funniest part is that none of men’s habits come with an instruction manual. You simply move in, close the bathroom door, hear a strange noise from the kitchen, and slowly realize that your idea of “normal” has expanded a little.
Have you ever been surprised by a habit after moving in with a man? Which one caught you most off guard? Share your thoughts in the comments!
The lack of care for security. They would leave the front door unlocked or even wide open, and sleep on the ground floor with windows open. Kind of jealous that they didn’t have the same fear of intruders.
How much they don’t care about their health, specifically physical and mental health. Before we met, I don’t think my husband had a vegetable or went tot he doctor. I make sure he gets his check-up’s.
I once shared a small rental house (2 br, 1 ba) with a straight dude during grad school. He was kind of a gym bro, so his meals were very utilitarian: mostly tuna and eggs with toppings like mayo and picked peppers. After sharing a bathroom with him for a couple weeks, I decided I needed to teach him how to cook other things and eat vegetables that contain fiber.
I’m a guy, my wife grew up with two younger sisters and I was the first man she ever moved in with.
She’s said the toughest thing to get used to was how comfortable men are being quiet. If my brother comes over, we can just watch football and not say a word. Same thing with my dad. She thinks this is crazy.
Meanwhile anytime I hang out with my wife’s family I’m always *amazed* at how much talking and interacting happens. There’s almost never any silence of any kind. They’re wonderful people and I love them dearly, but the yapping is enough to make me need some STIFF whiskey.
My wife only had her sister and admitted that she always thought that boys were simply flawed girls.
When we had our son, she was completely surprised with how snuggly he was and how sweet he was with her. Bringing her flowers on walks and stuff like that.
She was genuinely surprised and it made her realize that a lot of boys (and men… cough) may want to be both a little rough and tumble, but still warm and snuggly and actually *need* and *want* that from other people and especially from their mothers.
She actually sort of realized that a lot of men who lash out are probably doing so because they don’t get that gentle love at home, only the “hard love.”
I told her, the world is hard enough, a lot of men simply want something soft and loving to come home to.
I went from living with all women and working with all women to moving in with my, now husband, and working with all men.
They are so sweaty. All the time?! The gas. They burp and fart all the time?!
Once my husband came home from a workout. I had just cleaned our little apartment and had it all decorated super cute and he stomped up the stairs, took off his shirt and threw it in the corner, laid down on the bed I had just washed and made, and then burped.
I cried I was so stunned. He was very confused.
It has gotten better 😂😂.
I thought guys just naturally had less emotions. When you grow up with men calling *you* overly emotional and refusing to cry at moments where they really should have been, you just assume it’s natural. It’s not like they were telling me they secretly wanted to cry. They just made fun of my emotions, so I assumed they didn’t have any. And when I was a kid, anger just wasn’t viewed as an emotion so that didn’t count.
After I learned that they do, indeed, feel emotions just like women do after a friend very drunkenly cried on my shoulder, I then had to learn that they were never taught to process those emotions like I was and that’s why it presents so differently in them. So when they DO get emotional, it presents as lashing out and anger and violence.
Snoring. What is wrong with all men? Do you all have deviated septums? I don’t know what my brother and dad were like, we always had separate rooms. But I’ve had male roommates and they all snored, my girlfriends bfs would come over when I had girl roommates and they all snored. Like you can hear it through the walls it reverberates the house.
Also the amount of stomach issues they all have. Like you guys okay? Having diarrhea multiple times a week and blowing up toilets (and then not cleaning them) ain’t normal. .
Inability to find things. What they consider cleaning. Oddly enough less gross then I thought. He is fairly clean but detail cleaning like dusty and cleaning blind or fans etc I don’t even thought he considered before we met.
It surprised me that my husband cleaned his own place but when we got married magically he seems to have forgotten how to use a broom or mop or vacuum.
That it was expected I would cook and clean. No conversation just an expectation. Truly horrific. .
Kinda similar; I went to an all girls catholic highschool for my entire secondary school education. I forgot that I was somehow supposed to defer to men and not be my full authentic self in front of dudes so that they’d like me or whatever nonsense applies there, so when I started university right after HS it was insanely weird to me watching girls who attended co-Ed high schools behave around our male peers in and out of class. I legitimately had no idea women make theirselves smaller around male counterparts (for many, many reasons), because I wasn’t exposed to those behaviours in my formative teen years so I didn’t know I was supposed to, should or could.
There is no amount of filth that they won’t live in because they can’t be bothered with cleaning.
**editing to make my point. This is** my personal experience of almost 2.5 decades. If you have a problem with what I have said, it says a lot more about you than it does about me.**.
That they have a poop schedule, and sometimes can’t leave the house or go do something if they haven’t pooped yet.
The strive to just do the bare minimum. I’m in college and I know 1 guy who sleeps on a bare mattress on the floor and another who uses paper plates so he doesn’t have to do the dishes.
His shower turns my bathroom into a sauna. mirror is fogged up for hours and my hair looks like a frizzy mess.
How they can’t seem to concentrate in more than one thing at once.
I married the smartest man I’ve ever met… and somehow he can’t talk to me and do the dishes properly at the same time. His hands just stop moving whenever he starts engaging in conversation. And he only noticed that it happens when I pointed it out, after one year of marriage.
Mindblowing.
Their feet! They are all weird and splayed out. I thought Michaelangelo’s David just used a load of extra marble below the ankle for stability, but no, y’all have flippers. Who knew?
(to clarify, i had a stepdad, growing up, but never saw him without shoes and socks).
The constant amount of mucus they produce. a trip to an ent or an allergy diagnosis could help them immensely stop hacking, gurgling, sniffing, snoring, and spitting so much. yuck.
I grew up with mostly women around me and we weren’t allowed to relax or enjoy self indulgence until all the chores and tasks were completed for the day. The amount of men that want to relax or game or nap and then will get to the chores and tasks later always shocks me. Like how are you not thinking about all the stuff you have to do later the whole time you’re playing a video game? Or enjoy watching a game? Or nap if there’s still work to be done?
I was not prepared for them always having their hands in their pants just laying there 😂😭.
How much easier it is to coexist with men. They do not get upset about every little domestic situation.
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