Expressing love and appreciation of your significant other is key to building a lasting relationship.
Whether you’re married or you’ve just started dating, the small things you do will always win over your partner’s heart. And while grand gestures have their place, more often than not, less dramatic overtures are most telling.
Who better to hear what these are than from women themselves? Four ladies tell us about the small things that make them feel appreciated and loved.
Saying “thank you”
Having her partner show gratitude for the contributions she makes to the household means the world to Bongo Mazwana.
“Saying thank you every now and again for being a partner, for keeping the household together and for dinner … these are the small things that count. It’s all about the words and the actions that show he appreciates my contribution,” Mazwana says.
Doing household chores
Thandi Skade says she really appreciates her partner’s willingness to help with chores around the house.
“When you have a million errands to run at the weekend, just knowing you still have to clean the house later on can be quite draining. So it’s always such a pleasure coming home and being surprised by a clean house,” she says.
It’s always nice if your partner comes over randomly on a Sunday just to take your car to have it washed, or if he washes it himself
“It’s a big thing when he helps out with the cleaning because, honestly, I hate having to do it. It’s a breath of fresh air when he surprises me like that.”
Unexpected gifts
Mazwana says that a gift doesn’t have to be something expensive linked to a particular occasion and that it’s lovely to receive something small when it’s least expected.
“There doesn’t have to be an occasion for you to get me flowers, and the flowers don’t have to be expensive,” she says.
Skade adds that it doesn’t have to be a gift but an item that her partner knows she needs.
“It could be something as trivial as him knowing that I’ve run out of eyeliner and getting it for me without me having asked. It tells me he’s been listening,” she says.
Doing something you know she doesn’t like to do
Claudia Padayachee appreciates it when her partner takes the initiative to do things he knows she doesn’t enjoy doing.
“This could be as small as changing a child’s diaper when I really don’t feel like doing it – just those little things that make my life easier,” she says.
Having her car washed
Taking her ride to the car wash is something that Asanda Sizani really appreciates.
“There are certain things you know are your responsibility, especially when you’re not married to your partner, and getting your car washed is one of them,” Sizani says.
“It’s always nice if he unexpectedly comes over on a Sunday just to take your car to have it washed, or if he washes it himself. This is thoughtful. It’s just nice that he’d take charge like that, and it makes me feel appreciated.”
