Should you have to put up with this kind of behavior from your partner?

Every relationship is different, and we all have different boundaries with the people we’re in relationships with. But it’s sometimes hard to know whether or not it’s normal to accept a certain kind of treatment from the folks around you. We all have different comfort levels and different priorities, and sometimes you have to check in with other people to make sure your expectations are normal. Because sometimes things can get away from you, and before you realize it, you’re in a toxic relationship, and you can’t get out. But if you stop, look around, and wonder how you got here, the answers might be quickly revealed. 

The couple in this story were in a negative pattern. Their dynamic wasn’t quite working, and they needed to interrogate that. They didn’t want to just muddle through a relationship where neither of them was happy, but they were also afraid to make a change. They wondered how far they could get just by skating along as they were. But things were quickly getting to an unworkable place, and they wondered what they could do about it. Commenters had quite a lot to say about the way their dynamic was going, and whether or not any of it was worth saving. It can feel harsh to tell someone that their relationship is failing, but sometimes you need that.