It’s no secret that couples can do a lot of really weird things together.
However, there are also a number of things every couple should do together – and yes, some of them are still weird.
Want to know what these strange things are?
Good news: people all over the world are happy to share ideas with you.
Isn’t the internet amazing?
The reddit user posted a thread on askreddit the other day simply titled “what should every couple do together?” There’s no way to explain how some reddit threads are booming and others aren’t, but this one is definitely filed under “boom threads” because it has over 7,000 comments at the moment and it’s still growing.
And not just that, but the truth is that it’s full of good advice.
Yes, when you scroll down to see all the comments, you start to see a lot of repetitions.
But hey, maybe that just goes to show how solid these pieces of wisdom are.
Some of the suggestions are practical, some are silly, and many of them are great for dating, but generally they all have one thing in common: the encouragement of communication.
I would argue that good communication is the most important and necessary thing for a functioning relationship; therefore, any activity that works in building or maintaining it is probably something worth doing.
Here are 16 of my favorite answers.
1. Try His Hobbies and Vice Versa
You don’t have to make them your own hobbies.
Heck, you don’t even have to like them once you’ve tried them.
But it’s worth giving them a chance at least once – it can help you understand or see your partner in a whole new way.
If you’ve tried this or know that you both hate each other’s hobbies, you might as well…
2. Try A New Hobby Together
I hate almost all of my boyfriend’s hobbies and he hates mine too. We already tried, but soon we got frustrated and bored. So we decided to try other fun things together, and it’s been really cool to see him knitting.
This is also fun.
3. Go on a Trip
I thought I’d label this one simply as “traveling together” – but the type of trip also makes a difference, so I’ll continue with the trip.
You never meet someone until you’re stuck in the car for days on end.
4. Solve a Puzzle
Cooperative problem solving is a beautiful thing.
And if puzzles aren’t your thing, you can also try the following:
5. Use Your Dining Table As It Was Meant To Be Used: Eat and Chat
Make a meal together and sit at the dinner table to eat together. No cell phones, no TV, just the two of you enjoying each other’s company without distractions.
Confession: My husband and I don’t do that.
We used to use it when we first started dating, but it was kind of forgotten along the way for the next few years.
However, we go out to dinner once a week, which sort of accomplishes the same thing.
While it’s true that the depth of these dinner conversations sometimes depends on where we’re going (hamburger night in a loud bar? Not so good for conversation. Amazing pizza at the Italian restaurant downtown? Surprisingly quiet), it already makes a big difference from eat in the living room while we watch Game of Thrones .
6. Just… Exist
Get comfortable in silence around him.
We may suck at using our dinner table to talk, but at least we’re great at talking.
The best relationships—romantic or platonic—are the ones where you can just sit still, not feeling like you need to fill the silence.
7. Play a Cooperative Game Together
I can confirm this.
Portal 2 ‘s cooperation with its partner is the best.
It’s even better if you’re not in the same room – it makes you communicate in different and fun ways.
Speaking of communication…
8. That:
“My wife leaves a notebook open in the kitchen, and almost every day we write positive things: you look beautiful today. Thanks for washing the dishes. Wow, 10 years of marriage already!”.
I love that.
It’s a great idea, and since communication is key in any relationship, it offers an unconventional way to do it.
You can also try something like this:
We do something like this: he wakes up at 5 am every day. I usually don’t have to be at work until mid-morning. At night I make him lunch and then write a message on the bathroom mirror. He usually responds with something cute. We’ve been married for two and a half years, I hope this continues because it works.
These are the things that romance is made of.
9. Do Something Spontaneous
I get anxious whenever I go into something without a plan, but I’m trying to work on it.
Here you are putting your trust in the two of you as a couple to discover and have fun, no plans required.
10. Improve Your Home
Of course, this one also requires you to be concerned about the color of your walls – but you can also participate in any kind of home improvement project.
11. Let Your Imaginations Run Wild Together
Go to the zoo and come up with reasons why the animals are trapped. Go to an art gallery and make up alternate stories for the paintings.
12. Disconnect
If you have the type of job that requires you to always be accessible, this one might be a little more difficult to accomplish.
But it’s definitely worth a try if you can.
Disconnecting is good for us.
13. Canoeing
When you think about it, life is really just a canoe trip, isn’t it?
14. Two Words: Disassembled Furniture
Some say that dismantled furniture can make or break most relationships.
15. Read To Each Other
Of course, you could watch TV together.
But sometimes it’s more fun to be your own entertainment.
16. Working On Practical Things
Things like creating a budget together might not be the most romantic activities.
They are, however, essential.
In addition to addressing all that “communication” that we keep talking about, it also helps to find out if your priorities – or at least the ones that really matter when it comes to longevity – are in sync.
And that’s definitely worth finding out sooner rather than later.