Is this normal? (New relationship and he has bpd)

Hi all,

I am new to this community, but I have been having a very hard Holiday and thought I’d bring it to Reddit for some advice.

Early November, I began seeing a guy. Everything was going amazing, he is a bit younger than me and his energy made conversations and dates very fun.

Over thanksgiving, his family got into a major fight, and his mom went to rehab. He is living with her (and his step dad) right now, and almost instantly he began a bit of distancing from me. We would still see each other twice a week or so, but the romance sort of died.

A week before Christmas, we were supposed to hang out and do our gift exchange. He backed out and said he needed some space from our relationship until his mom is out of rehab and he can feel calm about it all.

Needless to say, my holiday is ruined and I feel so rejected and insane. I also feel led on, as he had made big promises to me.

We’ve texted here and there, and spoke on the phone for about 5 min (he called me to check-in). He said his feelings for me haven’t changed he is just worried and stressed about his mom and work (his company is laying off 1,000+ people Dec. 30th). We are supposed to hang out January 3rd, once we’re back from our new years trips.

Is this common? We’ve spoken about his previous relationships and he didn’t mention this behavior. I’m new to the BPD terms, and don’t want to put words in his mouth.

I’m open to any comment/questions.

Thank you in advance!