Relationship advices: Parenting and Raising Children

Looking for some advice! I'm a 22-year-old female and he's a 23-year-old male.

I've been with my partner for almost a year now, just a few days shy of that milestone. We connected on Tinder, met in person quickly, and hit it off immediately. Since then, we've hardly been apart. A few weeks into our relationship, he revealed that he had just ended a five-year relationship with his ex two weeks before we met. In August, I discovered I was pregnant and initially considered having an abortion since we had only been together for seven months and lived 100 miles apart. However, he pleaded with me to keep the baby and assured me he would support both me and the child. So, I let him move in with me, as he had been sofa surfing. Once I reached about 20 weeks pregnant, he started acting differently. He became distant, and our intimate life dwindled. Every evening after work, he would come home and immediately FaceTime his mom, often playing games with her late into the night, which disrupted my sleep. We argue over trivial matters and can never resolve our issues, which just gets ignored until the next week when the same problems resurface. I've bought everything for the baby myself, while he claims he doesn't have the money and expresses confusion, as his single mother provided for him during his childhood. This week, things took a turn. He had a good month at work and received a sizable paycheck. I thought he might help with the baby’s needs, but instead, he announced he would be leaving on Monday to visit his mom, 150 miles away, spending almost £300 on fuel. He didn't even mention this plan to me beforehand, which struck me as odd; had he discussed it, I wouldn’t have minded rearranging my schedule. He’s also not offered to buy anything for the baby again this month. On top of that, the car he's taking is the one we share—I cover half of all expenses like petrol, insurance, and taxes—so now I’m left without transportation to my hospital appointments next week. He didn’t even remember my appointment on Monday, which I will have to attend alone, a recurring situation, and the staff had expressed concerns about the baby’s size. I'm terrified at the thought of becoming a single mom at 22 and heartbroken that he seems indifferent towards me and our baby. I genuinely believed he was the love of my life, and I was looking forward to this new chapter together. However, I don’t want my child to feel second best, like I do now. I reached out to his mom to share my feelings, but she essentially labeled me as selfish, insisting that he deserves time away with her since she misses him. She also indicated that our relationship moved too quickly, which I agree with, but he’s the one who insisted on keeping the baby. I could really use some advice, as I feel so lost and scared right now. 😫

Am I overthinking this? I could use some help.

My partner needs a new sofa since he's currently living in a one-bedroom place and has turned his room into a children's space. I just ordered a corner sofa bed as a surprise for him, but now I'm concerned I might upset him. Am I overthinking this? 🤔😂

Is it just me, or are we experiencing abuse?

My husband believes I overly coddle our children and don’t discipline them for their actions. Our oldest has Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and often responds with “no” over the smallest requests. Typically, he becomes upset, but once he calms down, he apologizes and does what I’ve asked. Our middle child struggles with ADHD and anxiety. He has trouble sleeping and is somewhat less mature for his age. My husband, a combat veteran, has been diagnosed with PTSD since leaving the military 12 years ago. He often resorts to yelling at our kids, which has made them express fear toward him. Simple incidents, like a spilled drink, can provoke his anger. I've communicated my concerns, particularly regarding our oldest son, who now prefers to avoid his dad. There have been instances where my husband has physically dragged him when he refuses to go to his room, and he has slapped him for being defiant. He believes punishment is necessary, but I feel his approach has become overly harsh. Despite my efforts to explain my perspective, my husband insists I spoil them. Today, there was a heated argument between him and our oldest. My son ran downstairs and locked himself in a room, afraid his dad might hit him. In a fit of rage, my husband kicked the door down, and I tried to intervene. No one has ever told me I baby my children except for him. He’s now threatening to quit his job and leave our family, which terrifies me, as I wouldn’t be able to support myself and the kids on my income alone. I fear losing everything. I know I’m not in the wrong, and I've urged him to seek help, but he refuses, claiming it doesn’t work. I’ve been in therapy for years due to a difficult upbringing with a narcissistic mother who struggled with substance abuse—she has since passed away. Am I mistaken? Am I the bad parent here? I feel incredibly isolated, with no family or friends in our area. Is this situation abusive?

I recently lost some family members, and my girlfriend isn't able to support me during this tough time.

My girlfriend and I have been together for six years, and we have two wonderful children—our eldest is three and the youngest is two. I'm 24, and she's 23. Recently, I've been facing a lot of loss in my family, which is quite large, so it's unfortunately not uncommon for us to experience deaths. The most recent one was my grandpa, who passed away from a heart attack, and this one hit me particularly hard. Normally, I manage to cope with loss, but my grandpa lived with me and my parents for my entire life, making it more difficult to process. In the weeks leading up to this, my girlfriend has been harboring a grudge and hasn't been supportive in my grieving process. She's been distant, refusing to talk or even look at me, and her attitude has been consistently negative. She attributes this to what she perceives as my lack of help around the house and with our kids. We've had similar discussions before, as this pattern seems to repeat itself every few months. I genuinely don't understand her perspective because I'm quite active in taking care of our home. I clean daily, and I have OCD, which compels me to keep things organized and tidy—particularly when it comes to items on the floor. I handle nearly all the household chores except for the dishes, which I can admit I don’t do often. I also contribute to caring for the kids as much as I can, including getting them ready to go out and changing diapers. While I know this is all part of my role, she often acts as if I do nothing. I recognize that we haven't gone on a date in a long time, and I've made attempts to take her out, but she seems unable to switch off her "parenting mode" and relax. We have several options for babysitting, which would make it easier for us to have some time together, but she remains irritable and snaps at minor issues throughout the day. Since the birth of our children, I've put in my best effort, but we seem to go through good periods that last a few months before she raises a complaint. Personally, I dislike arguing or venting frustrations; I prefer to focus on what needs to be done and move forward. There's a lot more to this situation, so if you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to share. I love her and our kids dearly, and I want to avoid a split that would complicate our lives, especially since we are moving into a new apartment in a month and both work full-time. I don’t want everything we’ve worked for to go to waste.

My boyfriend is worried about the man I will eventually marry.

I'm a 20-year-old woman, and my boyfriend, also 20, and I have been in a relationship for 14 months. Last night, we had a conversation about my plans for my body once I have more money. I mentioned that I want to get laser hair removal first and then a female vasectomy. He asked if I was serious, and I explained that while I want to have kids someday, I prefer to adopt. The thought of being pregnant really scares me, and I don't think I ever want to experience it. I also mentioned that while my feelings could change, I feel firm about my decision for now. He expressed that he wants us to have a biological child together. I was surprised and pointed out that he seems uncertain about marrying me. He said that if we were to marry, we could have kids together. I explained to him that pregnancy involves not just having a child, but also physical pain, postpartum depression, and more. He responded by saying that pain is something I would have to endure, and he would be there to support me emotionally and mentally. This annoyed me, and I decided to end the conversation. Today, he brought the topic up again, and I told him I didn’t want to discuss it because I didn't feel he would understand. He insisted on talking about it and criticized me for being "immature" for making this decision for myself, claiming I'm too young to figure this out. He accused me of being selfish for viewing pregnancy as painful and not considering how he feels about having a child. He said I come off as narcissistic for only thinking about my own feelings. I asked why he couldn't accept that it's my body and my choice, regardless of age. He argued that in marriage everything would be shared, and nothing would belong solely to me or him. I told him that if that’s his perspective, he might need to rethink it; otherwise, I'd be concerned about my potential future as his wife. I also mentioned that if I couldn't find someone who thinks like me, I’d be better off alone. He then accused me of being ready to leave this relationship for someone else and said he was genuinely worried about my future husband. So, am I in the wrong here? **TL;DR:** My boyfriend believes I'm immature for not wanting to get pregnant and wanting to adopt instead. He thinks I'm selfish and too young to make this decision for myself. Am I wrong for feeling this way?

Guidance

I'm on a date with my ex at the movies, and we're trying to rekindle our relationship. So far, the date has been going well. While watching the film, she brings up her son, mentioning that he doesn’t like to leave the house. I suggest it’s probably because he has a PS5 at home and feels more comfortable there; I can relate since I was a kid once too. Then she adds, “I wish he would leave the house sometimes, so I could have company over.” I can’t help but feel that she might be referring to someone other than me, which is strange since I've spent time with her both with and without her kid. Am I overthinking this, or is there something more to it?

Should I allow my boyfriend to move in with me?

I'm a 26-year-old woman who met my boyfriend, a 36-year-old man, during the early phases of my separation from my husband (divorce proceedings are still ongoing). We've been together for nearly a year now. Recently, I moved 2.5 hours away for work-related reasons, and my boyfriend is planning to relocate next week as well. Initially, we intended to move in together, but I’m starting to have serious doubts about it. I have two daughters: a 7-year-old and a 2-year-old. My younger daughter is from my soon-to-be ex-husband, while my older daughter is from a previous relationship I had after high school. Because of my divorce, my 7-year-old has lost the father she's known all her life; he won't see her unless I "come home." I can see that she’s hurting, especially since she often tells me she misses her dad, and I’m at a loss for words when she does. Both girls adore my boyfriend and get excited when they see him. I've introduced him to them as just a friend, but I think my 7-year-old senses that it's more than that. When I asked her how she’d feel about him moving in with us, she responded positively. Later, she expressed that she wishes he could be her dad, which surprised me because it shows how much she cares for him. However, I have some concerns. I don’t want someone else to step in as a parental figure for my kids, especially if he might not be a long-term presence in their lives. I want my children to be raised with Christian values, and while he has said he would respect that, he has also made comments that question Christianity, which makes me doubt his commitment to helping me raise them in that way. Additionally, he spends $200 a month on nicotine, which isn’t necessarily bad, but he doesn’t seem to see it as a financial concern, while I do. I also feel that it might be too soon for us to take this step, even though we had initially planned to live together as roommates in front of the kids. Are these concerns valid? Are there other issues I should consider, or am I just overreacting?

I'm a 26-year-old woman, and I feel like he, a 28-year-old man, has wasted nine years of my life.

**[TL;DR] Is it wrong for me, a 26-year-old woman, to want to end my relationship with my partner, a 28-year-old man, because he has wasted 9 years of my life by delaying our plans to have children?** **Edit:** This post is on behalf of my sister, who is new to Reddit and still figuring things out. Any advice would be appreciated, as I’ll share the link with her. Thank you! **Edit 2:** My sister has replied to some comments below, so please check those for additional context. Is it wrong for me to want to end my relationship because I want children and he is firmly against it? I find it selfish that he made me wait nearly a decade only to tell me that he has no interest in having kids. My partner and I have been together for 9 years. I've always expressed my desire to have children, and he initially agreed that we would start a family one day. However, just a few days ago when I mentioned the idea of having kids, he finally said he doesn’t want them because he doesn't want to take on the financial responsibilities that come with parenting. We’re in a stable place and have everything we need, so I feel ready to take that step, but his words and actions indicate otherwise. He mentioned that I would need to continue working throughout my pregnancy and after, which I think is unreasonable given that my job involves exposure to chemicals and dust (I’m a nail technician). I’ve made it clear before that if I were to have a baby, I would need to take time off work for the child’s health. The concern for me is that he will not allow me to be a stay-at-home mom, which ultimately led to his decision that we cannot have children. Am I being selfish for wanting kids when he doesn’t? I feel really depressed and stressed about this situation.