People are not cut and dry. Everyone behaves differently in a relationship, and it can often be difficult to attribute certain characteristics to life circumstances.

However, I have personally found that strong family ties inspire a unique kind of relationship conduct that extends past the family circle. There’s something special about being with a family man.

1. When the going gets tough, he won’t get going.
   A guy who is very close to his family understands commitment at a deeper level. If you undergo hardship in your relationship, he isn’t one to just call it quits and leave.

He understands that relationships aren’t always easy because he has continued to maintain a strong one with his family throughout his whole life. He knows how to compromise, and sees the bigger picture.

2. He’s supportive of you and what you love, even if he doesn’t enjoy it himself.
   Being close to one’s family means attending loads of soccer games, family reunions, dance recitals, graduations and weddings you may not necessarily want to be at.

It was always expected of him that he supports and appreciates things that are important to the people he loves. That’s something a family guy carries on with him.

3. His mom taught him how to respect women.
   Respect is a learned trait. A man that loves, listens to and respects his mother for the strong and caring woman that she is, will treat the women in his life differently.

He will carry those positive values that his mother continues to instill inside of him into his future relationships.

4. He loves to spend time with your family, too.
   Two family people make a good match for this reason. If you value time with your family and would sometimes rather spend a night out with your parents than with a bunch of friends, it’s nice to be with someone who understands that and also enjoys it.

He will take on dorky family events and celebrations like a complete champ, and you’ll love him for it.

5. He’s good with kids.
   Not everyone wants children, and I understand that. However, being comfortable and playful with children is a positive trait for more reasons than just the prospect of future reproduction.

Children are innocent and yet complex little humans. Being good with kids means having patience, creativity, kindness and a good bit of kid still left in your heart. It’s good to have a man like that.

6. He keeps his word.
   Families place a lot of importance around doing what you say you are going to do. If you said you’d be at your little sister’s gymnastics meet, you sure as hell better be there.

If you said you would come home for Christmas, you couldn’t even think about backing out. A family man doesn’t make promises he can’t keep, and he also commits to the ones that he does make.

7. You get to have a second family.
   There is nothing like forming a strong bond with another family. Family love is a special kind of love, and if you are lucky enough to experience that outside of your own family, it is quite the gift. He will want to welcome you in, and include you in that very important aspect of his life.
8. He’s appreciative of you and your relationship.

Loving your family means appreciating them and appreciating the value of the relationships you have created through that bond.

It’s easier for him to value other people and what they bring to his life because he’s had the same group of awesome people bringing wonderful things to him since infancy.

He has seen the grave effects his human relationships have had on his life, and therefore he values all of his friendships and relationships

9. He’s confident.
   A family who really loves you, will make you feel special and incredible for who you are. If your family believes in you, often you do too. Confidence levels obviously vary extensively, but generally if a man has a really close relationship with his family, he has been raised to have a high level of self-worth and to believe in himself.

Confidence reflects very positively on a relationship, and will make an enormous difference in the end.

10. He trusts you.
    Abandonment and betrayal are complex situations that often start in the family. Prior relationship infidelities can also ruin a man’s ability to trust a woman.

However, in my personal experience, I have found that men who have had families that have been there for them throughout their whole lives, have an easier time trusting other people in general. He believes in the larger picture and depth of your relationship, and trusts that you respect him the way he respects you.