tell her to communicate better
So, any tips on showing that I care/being a better boyfriend in general? Best friend and I have been trying to makes things work for a little over a month, but I repeatedly upset her by not picking up on cues when she wants emotional support and just not really showing that I care. I most certainly do care, but this kind of thing has never been easy for me and I'm seeing now just how little I do for her. Though I've told her how much she means to me, she believes that actions speak louder than words and feels that my actions paint a completely different picture. I'd like to get better at this to make her feel more important and hopefully worry less that I don't care about her.
I’ve already got some things in mind that I’ve come up with on my own, but I’d definitely appreciate any ideas/advice anyone would like to give. Thanks for any help.
how far along is she? i mean, it's pretty easy for a pregnant woman to find herself uncomfortable throughout the day, especially during sex. is she 'mentally' uncomfortable or actually physically uncomfortable during? regardless, there is no harm whatsoever to having pregnant sex than having regular baby free sex. you won't create any twins that pop out of the child's shoulder at birth, either
I understand this is probably bothering you quite a lot, but if she doesn't want to have sex and it's making her uncomfortable (there are plenty of reasons a pregnant woman, who might be ill and uncomfortable, might not want to have sex just by virtue of her pregnancy and the effects it can have on one's body/wellbeing and libido, never mind the fact she might have her own reasons), I think your primary concern should probably be addressing her discomfort, even if this means ultimately accepting you might not have sex with her if she doesn't want to until post-pregnancy. It's difficult for us to make a meaningful judgment without being involved in the conversation, but if she wants to have sex but her fears of harm for the baby are getting in the way, she should probably educate herself and/or discuss that with her doctor(s).
I'm only going off what you've said and I apologise if I'm offending you -- I'm sure you love your wife very much and care about her happiness. But you seem to be operating under the assumption that a) you can convince her alone (she might not trust your authority alone vs. her strong instinct about her baby) that this sex is safe for the baby, which is why perhaps you should respectfully encourage her to consult a doctor b) that doing this would or should necessarily convince her to have sex with you. But you also mentioned she is in physical discomfort independently of the baby; the baby is just her explanation for it, although perhaps the positions you're trying make her uncomfortable, and/or her pregnancy makes her uncomfortable, or there's something else amiss? This suggests to me you might benefit more from reopening communication, if possible, but approaching it from a different angle, and not just trying to talk her into it (or make her feel like you are trying to talk her into it), which might be putting her on the defensive.
Also, I don't know if you've voiced anything as harsh as 'I say bullshit to that' to her, but I would be wary of making such a statement to her. I'm not sure if you're just saying the notion of it being her baby is bullshit (in which case she is just going off her maternal instinct / inclination to protect her child first and may need education, as previously said, and you shouldn't really be so dismissive of her feelings here -- be supportive and positive!) or that she's bullshitting to deflect it, but in the latter case I would consider a) the effects such an accusation would have b) why she might be inclined to do so at all c) whether she should have to do so at all and what that means. I don't know what you meant by it, so I can't say, but that's something to keep in mind.
Either way, I think you might benefit from talking to some mothers/expecting mothers about the effects this is having on your relationship and asking how you can be supportive of her while resolving this situation. It's a tough situation and I'm sure you're both suffering, but you need to remember to be extra patient and put her comfort before your desire for her to have sex with you right now; she's pregnant, after all. The more pressure applied, the further you risk alienating her. Good luck to you both, and I hope the delivery goes great. :)
Well, I guess that's something only someone who has experience with pregnancy or knows a lot about it could meaningfully answer. Perhaps you guys need to go about it in a different way, although if she isn't open to having sex anymore that is something you would have to discuss as I said. Sex during pregnancy strikes me as something that could potentially be very uncomfortable in lots of ways though. It's reassuring to know she's healthy~I wouldn't tell her it's bullshit to her face lol. But what concerns me is that is is physical discomfort, If it was mental I wouldn't worry about it. They have checked her and the baby out and everything seems ok.
Firstly, I think this is a very sweet post. It's great that you're doing your best and are interested in improving. She's lucky in that regard, and I hope that she will also do her best to communicate her wishes to you and help you improve constructively for the sake of your relationship. I think the general tone of the response(s) you've been getting is somewhat hasty -- you're doing the right thing, and I'd wait to see how your efforts to improve are received. Of course, without conjecture, we can't tell what type of person your girlfriend is or how the friction's been between you two, and so any tips we can give are only very generalised.So, any tips on showing that I care/being a better boyfriend in general? Best friend and I have been trying to makes things work for a little over a month, but I repeatedly upset her by not picking up on cues when she wants emotional support and just not really showing that I care. I most certainly do care, but this kind of thing has never been easy for me and I'm seeing now just how little I do for her. Though I've told her how much she means to me, she believes that actions speak louder than words and feels that my actions paint a completely different picture. I'd like to get better at this to make her feel more important and hopefully worry less that I don't care about her.
I’ve already got some things in mind that I’ve come up with on my own, but I’d definitely appreciate any ideas/advice anyone would like to give. Thanks for any help.
Quoting for truth, Lee is a wise man.showing you care isn't about grand gestures - it's about the little things. send her a pleasant text in the morning to get her day off on the right foot. listen to her when she talks and then repeat some of it back to her a few days later so that she knows you were paying attention. if she tells you she's doing something at 1800 then you oughta be getting in touch with her at 2000 to ask her how it went. if she's upset about something then show her that it upsets you too. make her your priority throughout the day, it should really come natural to you, especially if she's your best friend as you say.
you shouldn't be caught up on 'what can i do to show her I care?' - you should be thinking 'what has been stopping me from showing her I care all along?' and address that underlying issue. put yourself out there and let yourself feel vulnerable towards her, she'll love you for it.
lol then tough shit?She is 5 months and she says she is physically uncomfortable.
It's impossible, I've tried. I met someone who didn't know who Darwin was until her senior year of college and hated all homosexuals without cause or reason. She wasn't "dumb," her GPA was 3.9 something, but as far as opening her mind up to new ideas... it was impossible. Good luck if you attempt whatever advice you get on this, but I vote for move the fuck on.also, there's another girl i like. She plays bass and she's gorgeous and really cool, BUT: she thinks the world is 6000 years old. She was homeschooled in some crazy creationist family and her worldviews are less than realistic. Any tips on how to get with a girl who is highly religious and expose her to some sort of reality that doesn't involve us arguing, but instead leads to her reevaluating her life, and moving on? What kind of events can cause a person to renounce 18 years of indoctrination?
simple answer is: you're being a douchebag and you don't actually like her at all if a non-negotiable condition of you two being together is her 'reevaluating her life' and effectively changing such a fundamental and defining aspect of her character. that's fucked up man, we're not gonna help you brainwash her, you're the one who needs to reevaluate.also, there's another girl i like. She plays bass and she's gorgeous and really cool, BUT: she thinks the world is 6000 years old. She was homeschooled in some crazy creationist family and her worldviews are less than realistic. Any tips on how to get with a girl who is highly religious and expose her to some sort of reality that doesn't involve us arguing, but instead leads to her reevaluating her life, and moving on? What kind of events can cause a person to renounce 18 years of indoctrination?
You're assuming what is "reality" to you is the same for everyone else. Religious people are not better or higher than non-religious people, don't go insinuating the opposite.I don't think educating someone on the realities of the world (i.e the age of the earth) is brainwashing. Brainwashing would be the what has already been done to her.
I certainly wasn't saying that anyone is better than anyone else. I clearly stated that I don't have a problem with people being spiritual or religious, I didn't even mention god. I took issue with the word brainwashing being used in regard to scientific facts. The earth is older than 6,000 years. Fact. I'm not here to debate religion.You're assuming what is "reality" to you is the same for everyone else. Religious people are not better or higher than non-religious people, don't go insinuating the opposite.
Anyway let's not turn this thread into a religion debate.
As for the predicament the original person was in, if your goal is to date someone you need to be comfortable with who they are, and vice versa. You can't go into a relationship thinking "I'll just open their eyes/change their views" or what have you. It's incredibly arrogant and selfish to assume that it's your perogative to "enlighten" a person. Either accept her for who she is or don't waste your (or her) time trying to date her.
Are there any other instances of the sort that will really affect your lives if you were to be together? Because simply being mistaken about the age of the universe doesn't seem like it's a huge dealbreaker or anything. Unless you are a historian/geologist or something, I don't see this as a topic of conversation basically ever, so this shouldn't matter. Unless there are huge areas where you too disagree, it's probably better if you just avoid the subject. I think you should just accept the fact that her worldviews are her own, and if you really like this girl, then move past it.I certainly wasn't saying that anyone is better than anyone else. I clearly stated that I don't have a problem with people being spiritual or religious, I didn't even mention god. I took issue with the word brainwashing being used in regard to scientific facts. The earth is older than 6,000 years. Fact. I'm not here to debate religion.