Ask a Guy: How Do I Stop Fighting With My Boyfriend? post image

Ask a Guy: How Do I Stop Fighting With My Boyfriend?


I’ve been dating my boyfriend for about a year and a half. Things are great aside from the fact that we fight a lot. He loves me, is dedicated to me (and I to him), but sometimes it doesn’t feel like we vibe on the same page.

First, I like to talk about whatever is bothering me and he doesn’t. When I tell him I need more emotional support and he says I’m being needy and unreasonable. He tells me it isn’t his job to maintain my emotions or my happiness.

Second, there are money issue (he works full time and I’m a full time student/working part time). He’s stingy with spending any money on me. He makes comments like “I don’t really feel like spending money for both of us” or “It’s my money and I earned it.” I’m not a gold digger or high-maintenance, but a gesture of love like a card saying sweet things would mean a lot.

I can deal with not getting gifts and such, but being treated like a financial burden sucks and feeling like I’m stuck alone without his support hurts. I don’t know how to get through to him, we’re both stubborn. We love each other and want to make this work though.

How can we solve these relationships problems and stop fighting so much?

I have a few thoughts on this but just as quick as I can say them… you’ll have to reflect on them yourself.

1) What he’s saying sounds harsh, but he has a point. Don’t get me wrong, finding a way to connect this area of communication is good for you in the relationship, but you’re going to be way, way better off not using your relationship as your emotional dumping ground because:

a) Yes, men understand that women are more emotional than we are… and we’re fine with that… but we don’t know how to deal with it at all. At all!!!

b) Guys look at the world through the lens of wins/losses, success/failure, problem/solution. If you vent to your guy about something you’re unhappy with, his male mind will overwhelmingly  push him into  problem solving mode. Guys have a very narrow band of emotions that they find acceptable in their own emotional state. These emotions for men are called “good” and “bad”.

If they are feeling “good,” no need to do or change anything. If they are feeling “bad,” then immediate action to solve the problem is needed.

There’s no discussion. There’s no exploration of feelings. It’s simply – oh, bad feeling? OK, time to solve the problem.

So when a guy hears anyone complaining about feeling “bad,” they don’t want to discuss it, they want to solve it. Again, men see the world through the lens of problems and solutions. Presenting him with a “problem” and talking about it without the intent to solve it as quickly as possible is the equivalent of taking a juicy steak and waving it in front of a dog, but not allowing him to eat it.

So you might hate it, but… venting is best left for your girlfriends. They’ll understand you and they’ll be able to give you what you’re looking for in the first place. Girls are much better able to deal with empathy and emotional support.

MORE: The Main Difference Between Men and Women In Relationships

c) Relationships aren’t about turning the man into the source of everything in your life. There are some things men are great at because… we’re biologically and psychologically designed to be great at them. And there are some things men are completely not designed to do.

You should manage your expectations so that you want him to be great in the areas that he is capable of being great in and go to women for the things women are great at. In the same way you don’t want him treating you like a guy, he doesn’t want you treating him like a girl…

Now onto the money issue…..

Hmmm… well, I remember having no money… and I also remember a time in my life where I found gift-giving and gift-receiving to be very uncomfortable.

I suppose having money helped… but I also like giving now because I realize that it can mean a tremendous amount more to some people than any other gesture.

I wrote an article about how men show their love… it’s entirely possible that he shows his love in other ways… maybe through how he talks to you, touches you, spends time with you, or things he does for you.

Sometimes women are so fixated on one specific way that a man could be showing love (and isn’t), that they miss all the ways that he is.

It doesn’t sound like what you’re experiencing is all that bad. Couples fight and relationships take work. Don’t make it into a “thing” though.  Recognize the stuff that you’re hitting a wall against and find an alternate solution outside the relationship.

MORE: 4 Relationship Rules to Live By

One of two things will happen – 1) once it’s no longer a “battle” or “thing” in your relationship he might come around and start doing what you wanted in the first place – or- 2) you’ll get your emotional fulfillment from other areas in your life and you won’t feel like you’re lacking anything… which in turn will allow you to focus on everything that is great in your relationship.

As a final note, I want you to realize that I’m not bailing the guy off the hook in the relationship. It takes two to make a relationship work…

In your case, it sounds like overall things are good, there are just a few kinks right now. These are easy things to work out, but as I always say, if you want change in your relationship, one person needs to change first… and since you’re the only person you can truly control, you need to be the one that initiates the change.

With all that said, you’re going to be fine… don’t worry.

Hope it helps,

eric charles

Written by Eric Charles

I'm Eric Charles, the co-founder and co-editor of A New Mode. I love writing articles to help people free themselves from suffering and have clarity in their love life. I have a degree in Psychology and I've dedicated the last 20 years of my life to learning everything I can about human psychology and sharing what gets people out of struggling with life and into having the life they really want. If you want to contact me, feel free to reach out on Facebook or Twitter.

4 comments… add one

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Consulea chatmon

Hello i meet this good guy n we dated long discant for 1year and a half…And i move where he at in Chicago ..Everything was good for the first 2 months and now thing are getting somewhat bad..Let me Explain…if i ask him something he turn it into something Drama..like why u asking me that..and ur Tone..and u talking to me like a Kid..and i am very calm voiced and so why is he trippin about simply things..we was going to get marry but Nooooooo..i not i about to leave his ass amd move back home so just need some advice…Before i make my choice…Cause i am a woman who dont take much B.S from no one….it Nothing for me to walk Away….

Reply May 12, 2019, 8:56 pm

Mart

Hi…I have so much to say about my relationship and too scare that it has no happy ending. I have been dating this guy for 3years and 8months. I really love him. First few months were like magic then the worst came. Its a long distance relationship and I try my best to stay as close as I can wit him like through texting or phone calls and i do visit him sometimes….but things don’t work out well…the problem is when am with him its all good but if were are away from each other then he doesn’t like to tlk n text…only sumtimes…I know I too get needy sometimes but he always like being alone. Because of this we have some much arguments and sometimes it gets ugly. And we have family problems too…we both belong to political family and they are totally against us. And his mother hates me and says bad stuff about me…because of this he can’t even try anytime good…his mother constantly complaining about me and family. We fight and he switches his phone for hours and it makes me so mad…he is scare that he will become like his dad(physically abbusive) and he wants me to move on cause he thinks he is dragging me down and there is no future but i jus can’t. I love him so much that i can’t live a dingle day thinking we are no more. Its scary and we have gone through so much. Please help me. I have been praying and tried myself to slove the problem but i jus can’t get the main problem. Heeeelllllppppp

Reply January 21, 2016, 9:46 pm

Hanna

hello I need some advice. My boyfriend lives in Nevada and I live in California. He visited me twice already and he’s planning on moving closer to me in 6 months. He made it clear before we started our relationship that he is committed to me and so I am. But my boyfriend is somewhat emotionally distant lately. he told me I kind of pushed him away because I nagged, complained and got possessive to him. I told him I would change and he had forgiven me. I would go back to being a clingy and needy girlfriend from time to time and he would get upset. but he didn’t leave me. he would still always text and call me all day and would call me “babe”. Is he losing interest in me? What should I do? Please help

Reply September 16, 2015, 10:11 pm

Moira Hitchcock

I think there is a lot to be said for understanding that guys and girls speak different languages and you have to keep this in mind in relationships. However this has to happen both ways, work out what you actually want from a relationship and what is need ie insecurity and if what you want is still not being met then stop trying to make a round peg fit a square hole.

Reply September 11, 2013, 7:04 am

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