Relationships

The tradition of “men pursue, women wait” is still culturally prevalent, and a lot of families (yours included) teach their children that men should be the ones doing the asking when it comes to romance. This notion is problematic for a number of reasons. It reinforces not-so-great ideas about how…

Oof, this is a tough spot, and I’m sorry you’ve found yourself in it. I want to start by saying that your instincts, and what you’ve been hearing, are spot on. When you sense that someone you care about is being isolated by a partner, especially a partner with a history of harassment and assault, it…

Hi Freckle Face, There are a couple of things in your question that I want to address. The first is that you are, correctly, noticing that your friends are applying a double standard when it comes to talking about sex with you. Now, to be clear, people have different levels of comfort around…

Before I say anything else (and I’ve got a lot, so go on and put your feet up: this is big stuff, so you deserve big responses), I want to make a couple things super-clear. One: you get to have whatever kind of mutually consensual sexual life it turns out feels right for you, even if that turned out…

How do you navigate a relationship when one or both partners are dealing with pain?

This is one of those situations that I think is telling you it’s time to start claiming – and insisting upon – your independence. I kept the title you chose for this because it’s clear you know what the problem is: control. The solution is about control, too: you taking control of your own life…

Okay, first things first. If the bullying of him and you is at this level, then it’s time to call in the administration at the school and let them know what’s happening. If there’s a teacher that you or he trusts, they might be able to help you with the process. But this is one of those times where…

Before I say anything else, I want to address about those feelings of shame and inadequacy you had – from the sounds of it, are still having – when your partner told you his feelings about your sex life. Someone feeling like their sexual life or interactions with someone else aren’t satisfying, or…

I am really glad to hear that you have a close relationship with your mom. That can be tricky to maintain throughout the teen years, but for many people having a close relationship with parents is important, so it is awesome that you two seem to be doing great on that front. A big part of the reason…

Feel like being able to clearly set boundaries, stick to them, and assert yourself must require superpowers? Nope! You’ve already got all the goods: here’s how to develop and use them!