r/AskReddit • u/AuthorConfident9386 • 13h ago

Men, what’s one small, seemingly insignificant thing you’ve noticed that can be a telltale sign of the difference between a genuinely good man and a bad one?

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u/Neriya 11h ago

One general concept; how comfortable they are with things that would 'stereotypically' make men uncomfortable.

It encompasses lots of things. Are they mortally afraid of the color pink? Can they handle feelings- both their own, and from others? Can they socialize with attractive women as if they are people and not a target? Can they handle being wrong, or embarrassed, or looking silly? Can they be 'fatherly' in public, or even with other people's kids?

In my eyes, the more comfortable a man is in those situations, and about a thousand more like them, then the more even keel they're going to be overall and a better man as a result.

Not to toot my own horn too hard, but I once attended a party at a neighbor's house full of attractive neighbor women, and took the time to play with a set of little girls who decided they wanted to 'do my makeup'. So by the time I ate dinner, my short guy hair was in tiny pony-tails, I was wearing bright pink and blue blush and eyeshadow, all my nails were terribly pink, and I was even fashioned with some clip-on earrings. And that's how I sat down at the dinner table. The girls were delighted, my son thought it was hilarious (the earrings were his doing), and my wife thought I looked like an idiot. And I was a happy man.

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u/FlusteredCustard13 10h ago

It always floors me as a teacher because our middle school dances usually have a face painting station and the kids will ask to paint teacher faces too. I am consistantly floored that I am the only guy willing to let them paint a little cat or skull on me. There is no rule against this and it is even encouraged.

An additional point here is dealing with children. No man has to like children or want children. However, a good man always at least tries to be kind to children. Even if lack of experience makes them not the best at dealing with kids, you can tell the difference between someone making an effort (even if it falls flat) and someone who is a dick to kids.