I (18M) am not sure if I should breakup or try to stick it out with my girlfriend (18F)
Like I stated, I am an 18 year old highschool guy, and my 18 year old girlfriend of close to seven months goes to the same school as me. When we started dating of course I loved every second of being with her and it was like a treat when I got to see her every so often. But right now, and for about a month, its been really tough. I feel like I'm drifting away from her, she can't tell, and to be honest I'm not sure what conversation to have to try to get out of this, there's a lot that has transpired recently. I don't want to break up with her because I love her, but I also don't want to hold onto something that is doomed because I am too bias to see it. So that's why I feel I should get outside advice.
So overall I do love my girlfriend, she's a great person, and I know that, its probably part of what drew her to me. She's funny, kind, cute, smart and although she doesn't think it, one of the people at the school that everyone thinks is great. She's really complimentary, and inclusive of all of my weird traits, and on paper we're perfect for eachother. I don't really have one good reason specifically to break up with her, but she always asks if I still love her, and says I probably don't care about things she does, as jokes, but I don't like them, I've told her and she still makes them to me. I can tell that although her parents like me, they don't necessarily like the fact that I'm dating their daughter, so they often make things harder on us (I can tell its on purpose), and I just wish it was our relationship to dictate, they have a ton of control. She also won't quit one of her sports, which at face value is like why would you want her to quit? But she hates it, genuinely, all the time, and she is completely able to quit, she's just worried people will look at her differently, even though I know, that they wouldn't, basically feeling non-existent peer pressure to stay in something she can barely stand to do. And that kinda rubs me the wrong way unfortunately. The biggest thing is the way she fights when we have to fight. It's like I say something, and if she doesn't like the idea, she calls me controlling, and says its not fair to ask that. For example, she didn't tell me where she was going with friends and I somehow heard one of the (6) people going with her was the only guy she knows I HATE, and am very mistrusting of, and they're like only sort of friends anyways, so its fine normally, and would've been fine if she told me, but she didn't. I did get mad, not my best moment I'll admit that, but now, even after talking multiple times, she won't say she should've told me, and thinks that in the moment she is justified because she "didn't have an opportunity while she was there," all she said is she was going to tell me all of what happened after and she would try to do it more in the future. And that made me feel invalidated. She also doesn't seem to care if I have any opinions on what she does to her body, and sometimes other things, and I love her, but like, I'm your boyfriend, the only person you should care if I find you attractive, wouldn't you at least feel like its fair to ask me how I feel before you do something like that, even if you don't like my answer and do it anyway? I get that we're only in hs, but we said we would try to last, and if we're trying to do that, then why wouldn't we use habits that succeed over time. I've been feeling less validated, and I am noticing other girls again, and I don't like it, so if there's any advice you guys can give me to try to come back into it or anything else, I'd love to hear, I would like to try to stay together if you guys think its save-able.
Posted Jan 14, 2026, 3:05 AM UTC