FUCCI DAUGHTER wrote:So my boyfriend and I have been going out for a month now. He's actually my first boyfriend, which... I'm kind of too old to be just having a first boyfriend. But, hey, that's how things worked out. Anyway, I'm really really happy to be going out with him but as always there are a few problems that I just don't know what to do about. His sense of humor is really bent- he's really racist and talks about other girls with a totally straight face until I get kind of upset and then he tells me he's joking. I thought I made it clear at least that I didn't appreciate racism AT ALL, but evidently I wasn't clear enough.
He also said "I love you" maybe a little too fast. Like, a week into the relationship. And this is my fault, but I said it back. Woops. Can that even be taken back? It's not a huge deal but I think "I love you" should be saved for when there's really love there.
Any advice on how to be straight up, but not...rude? (I'm probably going to be on this thread a lot.) All help is appreciated.
Unfortunately, I have no easy or quick solutions for you. My boyfriend can also be a bit racist occasionally and I also do not want to tolerate it but it's hard - you can't just force him to suddenly change who he has been for years. And I don't mean 'can't' as in shouldn't, but as in it's seriously not possible. Habits are HARD to break, and when that habit is a way of thinking, a perception that he has grown up with, well it's going to be hard to deal with if things don't change. Being communicative about not liking in in a consistent way might help a little, at least to get him to not say those things around you.
You cannot take those three words back, sorry. You CAN have a talk with him about how you don't want to go to fast with the relationship, like you don't want to rush things and get in over your head before you are ready.
Also, it might be a bit tricky because you are only a month into the relationship. If you are still in school this might seem substantial, but in the 'real world' where a relationship may very possibly turn into something serious like living together, a month really isn't much. I don't want to be harsh, but this relationship probably won't last. And that's okay; learning experiences are good. It takes a few bad apples to get to the right one for you. It also takes experience to learn what you value in a significant other, what things you simply cannot compromise on, and how you want to be treated.
One last thing - there is no such thing as too old. I promise that however old you are, I will likely scoff and say that's not old at all for a first relationship. Everyone is different.