DOES your partner have traits you’d like to change to make them into an acceptable human being? Here is an extensive, but far from complete, list.
Weight loss. They needn’t be Chris Hemsworth or Gal Gadot, just not have the same body shape as a Tellytubby.
Not have friends with problems. Such as your girlfriend’s pal Hannah. You’ve wasted hours thinking of good advice she’ll never hear, eg. ‘Stop shagging narcissistic twats. You’ll really enjoy not crying all the time.’
Humming. Just noise and makes you think there’s an electrical fault.
Learn to drive. Or rather: learn to drive without constantly slamming on the brakes, or making overtaking a white-knuckle gamble with death. They can practise when they drive to work every f**king day.
Brexiter friends. Could your partner somehow get a new dad? Is 43 too old to be adopted?
Pop culture knowledge. Is it too much to ask that your partner has a working knowledge of Ulysses 31?
Haircut (his). He should go to a proper stylist not that useless barber. He might even like having a flattering haircut that doesn’t look as if his dad grudgingly took him for a ‘short back and sides’ in 1987.
Haircut (hers). All you ask is that she acknowledges her £150 hairstyle isn’t vital expenditure like getting the toilet fixed.
They should wear sexy underwear. Faintly ridiculous, yes, but men can’t help it. Lingerie doesn’t feature in men’s bedroom attire, but they can doll themselves up too by buying some non-threadbare boxer shorts without frankly revolting stains and a massive hole in the arse.
The Fast Show catchphrases. It ended in 1997. Maybe stop saying ‘Suits you, sir’.
Improved cooking skills. Just anything more ambitious than putting breadcrumbed fish and frozen chips in the oven. Then acting like Marco Pierre White if they serve some fried mushrooms with them.
Reduced bathroom time. Seriously, what are they doing in there? Having a shit isn’t hilarious so you suspect Terry Pratchett is involved.
Realise that things their gender happens to like are not always bargains. £400 for a discounted pair of Jimmy Choos is not ‘practically giving them away’. And buying Stella in 18-can packs isn’t ‘beating the cost-of-living crisis’.
Last-minute anything. British Airways is not going to delay a flight with 300 people on it because you’re still faffing around eating toast two hours before takeoff.
Partial washing up. Anyone who leaves a bit of food gunk on a plate then puts it away deserves to be shot.
Developing an interest in war documentaries (women). They love human drama and there were humans at the Battle of Kursk, so what’s the problem? You don’t expect them to watch an hour-long documentary about the development of the Flying Fortress though. You’re not a sadist.
Developing an interest in things that aren’t war documentaries (men). Not every enjoyable form of entertainment involves violent death. Take a chance on other things, and suddenly discover Mean Girls is a bloody good film.
Superstitious bollocks. If your partner’s dreamcatcher worked, how come last night you dreamt you had to get married to Greg Wallace then a shark ate your foot?