r/Advice • • 15h ago

boyfriend hit me for the first time in 4 years of our relationship how do I navigate this

1.4k Upvotes

I’m at a loss for how to handle this situation. Recently, university exams and clinicals have been incredibly stressful, and as a result, I haven’t been affectionate as much with him. This includes not having sex as frequently and other things with my boyfriend. I also have not been able to go on dates for the time being with him, but I communicated my feelings to him, and he seemed completely fine and understanding.

Today, I got home from class and started asking him questions about our grocery shopping for the week. He brushed me off and told me he didn’t want to talk. I asked him if he was okay, and he snapped at me and started yelling. When I tried to calm him down so we could communicate, he slapped me. Immediately after, he apologized and said, “He didn’t mean too,” and that he was so sorry.

I’m still in shock and am now in my room for some space. We’ve been together for three years, and nothing has ever been so terrible to this degree. I’m conflicted and don’t know what to do. I have no idea if I want to forgive him or if I should leave. My parents always taught me that if something like this happens, the first time is never last, and I should leave. But I love him with my whole heart, and our relationship has been amazing and healthy and he’s always been the gentle type and over the three years almost four we have always been communicative and have never got into any arguments of sorts. He brings me flowers every week and cooks when im stressed among other things that im so thankful for but now i can’t help but think about what could happen.

EDIT- He has been dealing with an insane amount of stress including his mother being hospitalized due to cancer which could explain his shift in mannerisms if this helps give more background information.
Please ask questions if you have any. I would greatly appreciate any advice you can offer.

Update One- Hello! I feel like a wreck right now, but I ended up getting a call from his older brother about a half hour ago in which he apologized on my boyfriend’s behalf again. He ended up telling me I needed to get out of the situation and that he himself would help me move to his place since he also stays in NY for college but lives in Manhattan, so I feel I might do this or book a hotel for the time being to get my situation sorted out and find an apartment stat. At first, I wasn’t thinking about leaving, but now with all the heartbreaking stories I’ve seen, I have to leave out of respect for myself and my safety most of all. I thank you and all the other lovely men and women for knocking that into my head. I will be sure to give an update as soon as I can again

Mini Edit: Once again, I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone for the incredibly insightful and empowering advice you’ve provided. I must admit, I’m currently overwhelmed with a whirlwind of emotions. While a part of me yearns to leave, another part desperately wants to stay and hope for his transformation. However, I’ve decided to focus on the latter part and move forward.

My soon-to-be ex’s brother has kindly offered to assist me in finding a new place to live. Since I declined the offer of living with him, he’s actively involved in helping me find a suitable apartment. As for my boyfriend, he understands my decision to leave and acknowledged the need for him to address his temper before pursuing another relationship. Im okay now and although it sounds stupid I’m also grieving the life I could’ve had with him because I honestly thought he would be my forever, this man I dreamed of as a kid. Cliche or not its just where im at right now :/ :)


r/Advice • • 5h ago

Advice Received Nudes of my gf going viral and we can’t wipe them all.

396 Upvotes

Long story short my gf’s iCloud got hacked by someone and they got nudes of her boobs with her face in them and posted them online. I think it was either someone she knows or a phone repair store person stole them because she had gotten her phone fixed some time before. Someone sent the pictures to me and they’ve already been viral for months on 100s of sites. Is there anything we can do at this point?


r/Advice • • 23h ago

Advice Received I have primary custody of my son, should I be sending him to his mom's house with gifts, clothes, etc for his half siblings?

210 Upvotes

Looking for advice because this has been a disagreement we've been having for a while now. I'm also anonymous because my son's mother knows my original account.

My ex and I had our son when she was 19 and I was 20. We had dated through most of middle school and all of high school and moved in together once she graduated. We didn't plan on having kids so young but we had a birth control failure and she decided she wanted to see what would happen and we had our son eight months later. When our our son was 3 months old my ex told me she wanted to have an open relationship and she wanted permission to be with other guys. I wasn't okay with that and after some fights we broke up.

We shared custody initially with me having our son some nights she went out during her parenting time. About six months after our breakup she was living with another guy. He kicked her out when she ended up pregnant and she lost the baby soon after. Then within a couple of months she was living with another guy and ended up pregnant by him. She had her second child just after our son turned 2. She was bouncing around and she was very unstable in her relationships and living situations. Most of the time I was running around trying to find where to pick my son up and it was having a negative affect on him. Not to mention having her third child a year after her second.

I asked her if she would let me have primary custody of our son and she said no. So I took her to court and was awarded primary custody. At that point she was pregnant with her fourth child and our son was 4. He's now 8.

My ex has our son one weekend a month. There are some months she is not living in a stable place so he stays with me, per our court order. She also has six children total now. None of those children have any contact with their fathers from what I have been told.

My ex has complained that I don't send our son to her house with anything for her other children. She has specifically mentioned clothes and gifts for birthdays/Christmas. She said that the least I can do since I have money is to make sure her kids have that stuff. I have never sent my son with anything for his half siblings. I have never considered it either but she has pushed so much that I wanted to get advice.

My son does not like going to his mom's. He spends most of the time wishing he could come back and calling me. But the court will not strip her time down any further and my ex doesn't care if our son doesn't want to be there. She doesn't understand why he doesn't like going to random houses every couple of months and meeting random guys every so often. I have my son in therapy which has been beneficial for him. And so far my ex has not asked him directly to bring anything for the other kids. She only asks me.


r/Advice • • 13h ago

Advice Received How do I tell my ex I wont get back with her because of her new look?

188 Upvotes

So.. i recently started catching up again with an ex from a years back, that ended because she was interested in someone else and didn’t wanna cheat on me. So not the worst break up. Well, we’ve matured since then and have really gotten along again and have been reminiscing on our past, realizing we were really good together.

I know she’s a good person and was good for me and probably would be now too. And honestly i still have that romantic connection with her. But, she has a new style i find relatively. Unattractive. But she seems really happy with it so I don’t say anything and tell her I’m glad it makes her so happy. She still thinks I’m attractive though despite my changes as well and commented on it quickly.

Well, the way the chats have been turning, she’s kind of alluding to us trying to date again. And as wonderful as she is, me finding her unattractive is obviously not going to work, and it is sadly the only thing. So now Im worried and trying to figure out what to say if she does ask to date again? Because I don’t want to lie to her. But I don’t want her to feel bad about what makes her happy or feel like she has to change for me.


r/Advice • • 16h ago

My girlfriend told me she sometimes fakes being asleep to avoid having sex with me. I don't know how to feel about it.

179 Upvotes

So this happened last night and I've been thinking about it all day.

My gf (25F) and I (27M) have been together for almost 3 years. Our relationship is pretty good, but lately our sex life has slowed down a lot.

Sometimes when I get into bed and try to cuddle with her, she's already asleep. Or at least I thought she was.

Last night we were talking about random relationship stuff and she casually admitted that sometimes she pretends to be asleep because she knows I might want sex and she doesn't feel like it.

I asked her why she doesn't just tell me she's not in the mood. She said she doesn't want me to feel rejected or make things awkward.

And that's the part that bothers me.

I've never gotten angry when she's said no. At least I don't think I have. But now I'm sitting here wondering if I've somehow made her feel like she can't be honest with me.

I also feel weird knowing that some nights I was lying next to her thinking she was sleeping when she was actually trying to avoid me.

I told her she never has to pretend and that I'd rather she just tell me.

She said I'm making a bigger deal out of it than it is.

I honestly don't know how to handle this. I don't want her to feel pressured into sex, but I also don't want her to feel like she has to pretend to be asleep around me.

How do I bring this up without making her feel guilty or turning it into an argument? I'd appreciate advice from people who've dealt with something similar.


r/Advice • • 16h ago

My dad asked me to let my stepsister and her friends stay with me and my friends at my grandparents vacation lodge?

164 Upvotes

This is a completely anonymous account so my stepsister does not see this. Hopefully lol.

My stepsister and I are both 19. We've been stepsiblings since we were 8. My mom died when I was 4 and her dad bailed as soon as her mom met my dad when we were 7. Her dad's family also dropped her and her mom didn't have any family. I had my dad's family some of the time, when they felt like being there, but I always had my mom's family. My grandparents made sure they had regular contact with me and they spoiled me ngl. That made my stepsister jealous. We were never close, never considered each other siblings but by the time we were 12ish she was hurt that my mom's family never included her in anything and that she was never family to them. My dad tried to encourage me and my mom's family to include and accept her into the family but it never happened.

One of the perks of being so close to my grandparents is they let me use their vacation lodge for free. My friends and I go there every few months for a weekend or a week to ten days and relax and unwind. Last year we used it a lot during the summer and we were there twice this summer.

We're planning a trip over winter break there too.

My stepsister and her friends have been trying to plan a vacation for their friend group but they can't afford much. My dad called my grandparents and asked them to let her use the lodge and they said no. Then he gave my stepsister my grandparents number so she could call and ask and they said no. She asked me if I would ask them and I said no.

When my dad found out he told me I could have asked for her and if I won't do that I could include her and her friends in mine and my friend's plans. He said I never advocated for her before or included her like a sister but he stressed to me she should be by now and that I could at least have her back here because I have been privileged where she has not been and she has always had significantly less.

I'll be honest it sounds like hell to have all of us together and I don't socialize with my stepsister outside of family functions. We don't live together because I moved out but she still lives with my dad and her mom. But my dad keeps stressing that I should and my grandparents would have zero issue with me including her and her friends. So technically nothing is stopping me other than not wanting to invite them. I'm here for advice because I don't know whether I should ignore what I want to make my dad happy or just to be nice.


r/Advice • • 19h ago

Should I Lie or Tell the Truth So I don’t hurt feelings

159 Upvotes

Over a year ago, the 16 year old neighbor boy came to my door and asked if he could park in my driveway and walk across my property to get to 60 acres of land behind us to bow hunt deer. We own 6 acres. I know his parents slightly. Nice kid so I said sure! He put a camera in the woods, weed whacked a path in the woods and put up a blind. He puts deer corn out. He is a really nice kid but here’s where we are.

He has told other kids about this and I find unfamiliar kids parking in my driveway and spending hours in the woods and we don’t know who they are. Btw, our driveway is huge so cars parked in driveway is not really an issue.

I’ve already made up my mind to shut this whole thing down once bow hunting season is done this year in December. They only bow hunt, no rifles.

To keep it from being awkward I was going to tell the kid we are selling our home so we can no longer give them access to the property to hunt which is sort of true … except we might wait another year to list the home. Or, should I come straight out and tell him I have too many stranger kids coming across my property. My goal is to just stop everyone, so I don’t want to leave any door open such as… he agrees to go back to just him and his buddy which allowed originally.

Would you fudge or fess up?


r/Advice • • 12h ago

Not invited to siblings wedding, nobody has said anything. Should I quietly remove myself from their lives entirely?

100 Upvotes

My sibling got married recently. I found out the invitations went out months ago (maybe 6-8 months) and didnt even know they arrived although I live with my mom.

I was planning to make a wedding gift when I found out they were engaged, but then found out invites had already been delivered a while ago when my mom talked about her plans to fly for the wedding. I wasnt even told what day it would be until being sent photos of the wedding from my mom.

Ive talked to/seen my sibling and their partner at dinners since I found out about the invites and nothing was said. The wedding was briefly talked about, but that was before I knew the invitations were sent out.

I dont know if I would have even gone, because I am not close with my sibling. Growing up was very abusive from them and my mom. It was ok for a little while after I moved away, but they did ask me for money when we did talk during then. Sometimes its ok, but the last time we talked (not dinners) it turned into insulting me and where im at in life in various ways.

It is a weird relationship. Their partner is very nice, but even at dinners I am talked over by everyone when I try to participate (which is normal for the dynamic, but weird with the fiancé)

Pictures were posted on social media from the wedding that I saw from other family and friends, but they havent talked about it either.

___________________________________________________

Some (recent/last few years) Context:

Family dinners didnt feel comfortable to attend, I didnt attend the last one but I happened to come home the same time they were leaving, and my sibling kept waving until I saw them.

I told my mom that I didn't want to participate in dinners previously, because I was uncomfortable, and it created big arguments She will say "youre making me a prisoner in my own house" "holding me hostage", when I dont mind if they come over for dinner, I just dont want to participate in it.

The dinners just feel so strange. Im talked over, or if im responded to its to tell me why im wrong about whatever it is, so theres no point in me being there.

For Holidays, my mom will get them special things, and ill comment that its nice etc, but usually she gets mad if I dont make a bigger deal about it. My sibling and fiance will drop off gifts for my mom and other family, and it will be a big deal too. They dont give anything to me, but I also dont give anything to them so thats ok, I used to give birthday gifts to my sibling as teenagers but just stopped. I do still wish my sibling Happy birthday, but dont get a reasponse.

________________________________________________________________

My health isnt great, and my dog is old so I care for him. I would have to get a flight if I went, but my mom would have offered if I needed additional help if I went with them.

I havent asked my mom say anything to them, I dont want her to and she hasnt offered. I just dont want to participate in "family" things going forward, but I know that will create big arguments.

Im not upset on not being invited to the wedding, but it hurts a lot to not have anyone say anything, and pretend I just dont exist at all.

I wouldnt expect or want an apology for not being invited, people have their reasons and dont need to justify them to me, but I wish it would have been acknowledged in any kind of way.

___

TLDR; not invited to silbings wedding, but dont have a close relationship. I go to family dinners where im talked over, or feels like I shouldnt be there, so Id just prefer not to go to them, especially after this. Live with my mom, didnt know invites went out. I am ok with not being invited, but nothing has been said to me at all about it. It feels very weird that nothing has been said at all, I dont think I will say anything because it feels like I should not exist in their lives after this. But, I am also expected to attend dinners in the future.


r/Advice • • 8h ago

Boyfriend says he wishes I had a better body

67 Upvotes

Every time we watch a tv with women who are built like models or scenes with strippers my boyfriend says “God look at that ass. I look at that then I look and see you. Why can’t you be attractive” and it really hurts my feelings. This has been a continuous thing for a while now and it’s really starting to affect my mental health. I’m planning on breaking up with him soon, but I don’t know how to make myself feel better about myself now that he’s knocked my confidence down so much. It like no matter what I do I’m not good enough and he always finds something wrong with me, whether it’s that I have a few eyebrow hairs, have razor burn on my skin, or that I miss a few hairs when I shave.


r/Advice • • 12h ago

I (F23) have started cleaning this elderly blind lady's (F70s) home, but I found out a few things about her and her life that are worrying me, and I would love to help her, but I don't know how or if I can. Is there anything that I could do?

59 Upvotes

So, for context, my sister (F22) works at a small pet store, and her and her coworkers just adore this older woman who's about in her 70s.
She's really chipper and has one of the kindest hearts you'd ever see, she'll talk your ear off.
She's actually mostly blind, being completely blind in her right and seeing very little in her left.
She's gotten pretty close with them, and my sisters coworker began going over there to her home, because this elder woman (who we will call Daisy) had bought an animal from them and asked if she knew would be able to help her with the setup.
My sister's coworker offered and visits her once a month.
From visiting her she's noticed her living situation is pretty concerning for an elderly person with very low vision.
She's got clutter everywhere, lives by herself, albeit nearby a cousin who barely visits her and her landlord.
Daisy doesn't want people to really clean her house, but my sisters coworker talked her into it, but only if it was someone she knew and trusted.
I've actually never cleaned someone else's house aside my own and a family member a time or two before.
I really care about people even if I had just met them, and so my sister and her coworker thought I'd be good to help, because we're both chipper and have a few things in common.
I was pretty nervous to go to meet her at first, but after meeting her, she is just the sweetest!!
She will just talk your ear off, and my sister and I chatted with her for about 3 hours with little silence.
Some things my sister noticed especially was medicine bottles/tabs unorganized and obvious clutter.
(Which I later found out were for heart failure and memory)
Daisy is just so sweet, but also talks about death a lot as well even just meeting her, and it just has us worried, especially since she doesn't have anyone living with her or immediate family aside from the cousin.
We've just met, and she's already trying to give us things like books, which I understand she can't exactly read, but it's upsetting.
Even if we don't get much done cleaning, I know she just needs the company at the very least.
I've just met her, so I don't feel it's my place to push medical advice on her or say she needs a healthcare worker or something like that, I feel she does need someone professional to be there with her, but it's not my place unfortunately.
I'm actually looking forward to visiting her, I'm hoping at the very least to maybe help her feel less lonely and maybe have a cleaner space, but is there anything I can politely mention or do?


r/Advice • • 22h ago

Advice Received How to stay warm without heating?

54 Upvotes

My parents can't really afford the heating right now and its really cold in my house like bloody freezing, I genuinely cannot leave my bed without getting extremely cold, the whole house is cold, I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to stay warm? Is there a certain way I should layer clothes (I don't have too many but I have afew jackets, Tshirts, long sleeve tops, my pajama bottoms and afew pairs of socks i could maybe layer?) Any advice on things that will make me warmer is appreciated! Especially downstairs where even having a big blanket on, Im still cold and so are my siblings, Thank you!

edit: Thank you everyone for being so kind and giving such lovely advice, Im 17 so it sucks having to ask for help on things like this, despite having a job to try support my parents with heating, rent, food etc, I really appreciate it and anyone in the same situation as me, I hope it gets easier for you and I hope some of the advice from the lovely people in my comments can help anyone else who needs it. 🫶


r/Advice • • 7h ago

My friend went to a strip club for the first time and now he's in love?

48 Upvotes

He danced with this girl and now he chases her. He's like she told me I get her wet! She let me suck on her tits, she put her pussy in my mouth, I fingered her, etc etc. Im just like.. thats their job! They dont like like you. He's still blind. Idk what to do.. she's already spent 300 of his money. Now he wants to fck her. He says if he gives her the good d, she'll marry him and have beautiful children.

I just cantt


r/Advice • • 3h ago

My paternal grandparents made contact with me for the first time since my dad's funeral a few weeks ago but it feels like they just want to punish me for choosing to live with my maternal grandparents over my half siblings and their mom

41 Upvotes

My (15M) mom died when I was 5 and my dad died when I was 8. My dad was remarried and had two more kids when he died. When my dad died my maternal grandparents and my dad's wife argued over where I would live. It was a shitshow. The day after dad died a social worker and the police were at my dad's house because my dad's wife called them on my grandparents for wanting to take me. I wanted to go with my grandparents and the social worker said it was the best temporary solution until custody was resolved. I was interviewed a few times and I always said I wanted to live with my grandparents. There were more questions asked than that but whenever it came down to what I wanted or who I felt the most secure with my grandparents were the answer.

My paternal grandparents were on my dad's wife's side. My dad's funeral was the last time we had any contact for years. They were disappointed in me and didn't agree with me living with my maternal grandparents.

But a few weeks ago they started to make contact with me again. My 16th birthday is coming up really soon and they mentioned that a lot at first and I thought maybe it was why they wanted to be in my life again. But after talking to them a few times they started to mention my dad's wife and my half siblings. They told me I should have been making the effort to be in their lives now that I'm older and I should reach out and say I want to live with them again and when I told them I didn't want to they started talking to me like I was 5 and throwing a tantrum. They lectured me about family and they lectured me about making good decisions. They told me that my dad would have been heartbroken to know I abandoned the family he left me with as soon as his spirit left his body. They said he left me with a mom and siblings and I threw them away for people who disrespected her from the beginning and made her feel like she could never be my mom. They told me that my grandparents had fought with my dad and his wife for encouraging me to call his wife mom, which I never did. And that they minimized her role in my life. They asked what I thought of that and I said they were right.

Now when we call it's just lecture after lecture and they insult my grandparents. My paternal grandparents said my grandparents stole my chance to have a normal family and they stole my chance to have a mom and siblings. They were like it's sad your mom died when you were 5 but your dad found you a wonderful new mom and gave you siblings and "those people" stole you away. They said they would have expected me to be angry about it by now and they would have expected me to be fixing my mistakes. I told them it wasn't a mistake and I had no regrets. So more lectures followed.

My grandparents talked to them on the phone and there was a fight. We talked about it and my grandparents told me they would not make the decision for me but to know it's okay to go back to not speaking to them. I feel like it might be for the best. But I wanted to ask for some advice because I was really happy to hear from my paternal grandparents again but now I'm less happy and it feels like the whole point of their calls is to punish me for making the choice they didn't like.


r/Advice • • 15h ago

Advice Received I’ve Applied to 1,000+ Jobs, Lost My Business, and I’m on the Verge of Homelessness. What Else Can I Do?

35 Upvotes

I genuinely don’t know what else I can do at this point.

I’m 31 years old in Southern California

For seven years, after the military I ran a construction company. Unfortunately, things took a turn, and I’m now in the process of shutting it down and filing for bankruptcy. The irony is that I can’t even afford to file for bankruptcy, so that’s on hold too.

For the past 3–5 months, I’ve been applying to probably 10 jobs a day. That’s hundreds upon hundreds of applications across practically every industry imaginable. Construction, project management, administration, security, entry-level positions, you name it.

I’ve completed aptitude tests, virtual assessments, and multiple hiring processes, only to sit in “processing” for nearly two months without hearing anything. Other companies just send rejection letters, if they respond at all.
I’ve personally reached out to construction companies on Instagram. Some respond and ask me to email my resume, and then completely disappear.

I’m a Marine Corps veteran. I’ve owned and operated a business, managed employees, handled multimillion-dollar projects, and worked my entire adult life. At this point, I’m not even concerned about titles or positions. I just want to work. Labor work has become difficult for me because a year ago I was t boned and inured but I still say screw it do what I can

I even went out and completed the training for my California security guard card, hoping that would open another door. But once again, employers want additional training, certifications, weeks of waiting, or experience before giving someone an opportunity.

For the past four months, I’ve been dangerously close to homelessness. I’ve exhausted what little money I had, borrowed from family and friends, and scraped together whatever I could just to keep a roof over our heads.
I reached out to the VA and other veteran organizations. Thankfully, I received assistance for one month, but that was it.

So I started DoorDashing. I was actually doing well and finally had some money coming in. Went up in the tier system Then, out of nowhere, DoorDash suspended my account without a clear explanation. Now they’re telling me it could take another month or two to resolve, while the money I earned is sitting in limbo.

I tried Uber, but I’m barely getting anything there either. Literally $10 a day

I went and did odd jobs to try and make some money like picking up trash to furniture it has completely stopped

I’m now at the point where I don’t even have enough money to put gas in my vehicle, so I can’t drive to make money even if an opportunity comes up.

Every down fall I got up and found alternative routes but this time around after door dash and waiting on hires came to an end idk what to do

And when I explain how defeated I feel, my fiancée tells me I can’t give up you’re a loser etc etc

But honestly, what else am I supposed to do? She makes no money as an internship program for her degree/ licensing

I’ve applied to hundreds, potentially over a thousand jobs. I’ve contacted businesses directly. I’ve completed assessments, taken additional courses, pursued different industries, sought veteran assistance, tried gig work, and swallowed whatever pride I had left to ask people for help.
I’m 31 years old. I have a bachelors in business, military service, years of management experience, and seven years of running my own company. I’m willing to start over from the bottom. I’m willing to work nights, weekends, whatever it takes. All the veteran programs have denied to help me due to “budget and defunding “

But I cannot force somebody to hire me.
And that’s the part that I think people don’t understand. You can tell somebody to keep trying, keep pushing, stay positive, and never give up. But what happens when that person has been doing exactly that every single day for months and nothing changes?

I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m genuinely exhausted, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

I don’t need another motivational speech about working harder. I’m already trying everything I know how to do.
I just need an opportunity. A real one.

If anyone knows of legitimate employment opportunities in Orange County, Los Angeles, or the surrounding areas, I’m open to just about anything. I just want the chance to get back on my feet or any advice recommendations ? Please


r/Advice • • 16h ago

Advice Received I(24M) can't make myself to tell my GF(23F) that I can't have sex with her

34 Upvotes

I'm a guy who hates himself for being far behind in my life while I'M 24 and I don't make that much. My girlfriend on the other hand loves me and cares for me, it's not like I don't. She asks me for sex and I understand that its a human need so it's fine but I don't feel it arousing anymore. It's not like I don't like her or I'm not into girls, I just feel like I'm wasting my time every time i'm into this stuff. I genuinly want to be with her and this is growing because she thinks she's not attractive enough or maybe I don't love her anymore, I've tried to tell her this but I couldn't make myself do it. Any advice on how I should approach this?


r/Advice • • 8h ago

Advice Received Today we found out my newborn brother isn’t going to make it and I don’t feel.

30 Upvotes

For context, my mom had me as a teen, then I grew up and just last year she remarried. She had my baby brother two days ago, we found out he was sick yesterday and found out he wasn’t going to make it today. When they told me I cried a whole lot with them, and was like full on shaking and felt numb. I just got home (they stayed at the hospital) and honestly I feel a whole lot better. I’m pretty sure I’m just in shock, and I’m still pretty sad, but I never really internalized the fact that my moms having a baby, and by the time I met him I knew he was sick and my parents were very concerned he wasn’t going to make it. I’m not sure if I just haven’t fully got the gravity of the situation or maybe I just never will, I feel sad but I also don’t. Take everything I say with a grain of salt because this all happened hours ago but this is the first loss in my life and I don’t know what to feel. My only thought is that I didn’t really ever fully think about how there would be an actual baby who would become an actual adult, so maybe It will never come? Idk I just don’t feel that I can tell anyone in my family this in fear of being seen as a psychopath or something.


r/Advice • • 8h ago

16f (supposedly) girlfriend lied to me, 17m about her age. how do i break up with her?

32 Upvotes

i am breaking up with my girlfriend. let’s get that out of the way. ive made up my decision and thats final. this isn’t a “what should i do?”, its more like a “how should I do it?” i am not waiting until i am 18 to do this, this is an ASAP type of thing.

i found out earlier today my girlfriend lied about her age. i had thought she was 16, since that’s what she told me and that’s what her friends told me. for context this is a long distance relationship. what makes it even worse is the fact i turn 18 in literally 2 months, which would make me 18 dating a FOURTEEN year old.

i have already decided im going to break up with her and i doubt she’s aware that i know. i just need a little help on how to do it since both of us have already gotten attached to eachother a LOT. but i don’t want to look like a fucking creep dating a freshman when i literally applied to colleges last weekend. granted a lot of this is on me since i didn’t even bother to verify so whoops my bad, but what’s even worse is we got eachother things already as gifts and such. i dont really care about things like that in the grand scheme since i have much bigger fish to fry right now, but it just adds to it all.

i still care about her very much and dont want to say something horrible, or cause her to feel bad since there was that level of affection between us before i found out the truth, but i need help on how to put it in a way i can still get my point across to her. this is a throwaway acount, thank you.


r/Advice • • 11h ago

Found out my values don’t align with the lady I have been going horse back riding with…next steps

29 Upvotes

I have been going horse back riding at a ladies house (met her through a friend). She is a pastors wife and had 4 horses on her property. I am a liberal atheist but have no issues with others beliefs as long as you respect mine. Been going once a week for a couple months and have had a good time! And no religion type talk outside of the few “God is good” and “I’m so blessed” comments which didn’t bother me at all. She does most of the talking and I just enjoy getting to ride and spend time with her horses.

Until this last weekend. She must be getting comfortable with me or something because it was all “God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve” and kept taking bad about her nieces and how much of a mess they are. One of them is a lesbian and the other had a chronic illness. So gross and unkind.

Trying to figure out next steps, looking for a new barn (struggling to get people to respond to me) and then how to tell her I am done riding with her and if I should tell her why or just leave it alone.


r/Advice • • 18h ago

I found out my mom is cheating on my dad with his best friend, but I’m scared telling him will destroy our family

20 Upvotes

I recently found out that my mom has been cheating on my dad with his own best friend. I discovered it after checking her phone, and I wish I never had to find out something like this. I never imagined my mom would do something like this, especially with someone my dad considers a close friend.

My biggest concern is my younger siblings. They’re still not old enough to stand on their own or support themselves, and I’m scared that if my parents separate, our entire family setup could change in a way that wouldn’t benefit any of us, especially them. I’m worried about our financial stability, our living situation, and how this could affect their future.

Every time I think about telling him, I imagine our family falling apart. But whenever I think about keeping it a secret, I feel guilty because my dad is living his life without knowing what’s happening behind his back.

I love my family, and I don’t want my siblings to suffer because of something they had absolutely no part in. At the same time, I don’t want my dad to continue being betrayed.
I feel like I’m stuck between doing what’s morally right and doing what I think might protect our family’s future. I don’t even know if keeping quiet is actually protecting anyone or just delaying something inevitable.


r/Advice • • 19h ago

My (15F) younger brother (14M) is being horrible to our mom after our dad passed away and I don’t know what to do anymore

18 Upvotes

Hey guys, I really need to vent and get some advice because I’m so exhausted and mad right now.
My dad died a while ago, and obviously it’s been awful for our whole family. My mom is trying her absolute hardest to keep us going. My younger brother (14) asked to go to therapy, so she put him in therapy right away. She buys him literally anything he asks for and does whatever she can for him. But he treats her so badly. He acts like a total victim 24/7. He gets mad if she has a drink (she’s an alcoholic but has gotten SO MUCH BETTER) or if she dates, and he literally says "she’s just trying to buy my love" even though HE is the one always begging her for stuff. Then when she gets it for him, he turns around and acts like she’s evil.

Recently he decided he wanted to see a psychiatrist, but there aren't any near where we live. He literally screamed at my mom like it was her fault. And today my mom was sick in bed and calling/phoning his room asking if he could bring her some medicine. He completely ignored her, so I had to do it. When I called him out, he literally just laughed in my face like it was a game.

I get that grief is hard and everyone copes differently, but he’s just being straightup cruel at this point. I’m so sick of watching him treat my mom like trash when she’s doing everything for him, and I feel like I always have to be the responsible one while he
acts like a spoiled brat.

How do I deal with this without losing my mind or screaming at him? Has anyone else had a sibling act like this after losing a parent? Will he “grow” out of it?

I still love him; I’m just annoyed. Ignore me calling him a spoiled brat.


r/Advice • • 15h ago

Advice Received My mom is forcing me to wear hijab and is threatening to shave my head

16 Upvotes

My mom has been pressuring me to wear hijab for YEARS. For the past 4 years, I've been telling her I'll wear it eventually, but the truth is that I've never actually wanted to. I've only said that because she constantly pressures me and threatens to force me. At one point, she even told me she wouldn't force me and that I only needed to wear long sleeves, so I thought she'd finally stop pressuring me.

Recently, I made a Depop account to sell clothes. Some of the clothes were revealing, so I used AI to put them on a model that looked like me instead of wearing them myself. My mom saw the pictures and accused me of lying, insisting they weren't AI. She also saw a picture of me wearing a slightly cropped shirt in a photo with my friends. It was my first time wearing it, and I genuinely didn't realize how much of my stomach could show when I raised my arms (mind you it was literally like 2% of my stomach showing)

Today, she started yelling at me, calling me a disgrace to the family and saying I'm ruining our reputation. She told me that starting TODAY, I'm wearing hijab. When I said forcing me defeats the purpose of choosing to practice my faith sincerely, and also showed her proof that forcing anything is HARAM, she said she doesn't care. She also keeps bringing up how I've been telling her for 4 years that I'd wear it and says I'm a liar.

But I've genuinely never wanted to wear hijab. The years of pressure have made me resent it so much that I literally feel nauseous at the thought of being forced to wear it. I don't even know how to explain it. Something that should be a personal religious decision has become something I associate with threats, fear, and control.

She's now saying I'm not allowed to leave the house without it. She's threatening to shave my head if she catches me going out without it, and she's also threatening to kick me out if I wear anything she considers inappropriate again. I don't know if she'd actually shave my head, but the fact that she's threatening it is terrifying.

She's also making me use my phone and laptop downstairs, so I have basically no privacy.

My dad doesn't care about hijab nearly as much as she does, but I'm scared to tell him anything because she'll twist the story and make me sound like some belly dancer who goes out wearing nothing and posts herself online for everyone to see.

My dad's entire side of the family doesn't even wear hijab, yet my mom makes this such a huge issue. She also constantly compares me to my sister, whom she FORCED to wear hijab at 14. My sister STILL doesn't like wearing it to this day, but my mom keeps telling me I should be like her.

I even told my mom it's extremely odd that her love for me seems to depend on whether I wear hijab, and she said she doesn't care and that its fard.

I'm not going to tell my friends I'm being forced, and I refuse to step FOOT outside this house wearing hijab against my will. If that means staying home, then I'll stay home. For now, I'm planning to stay inside and keep conversations with her to a minimum because I genuinely don't want to be around her. I'm developing a deep hatred for my own mother.

If she actually tries to shave my head, I genuinely think I'd consider running away, even without a plan. I know that's dangerous, but that's how desperate I feel to get away from her controlling my body.

I'm 17 and financially dependent on my parents, so I feel trapped. I know I haven't been honest about being ready to wear hijab, but that's because I've spent years being pressured and telling her what she wanted to hear felt easier than constantly fighting.

I'm not saying hijab or Islam is bad. I just want the choice to be mine. I don't understand how threatening, humiliating, and controlling me is supposed to make me want to wear it.

Should I just take it off outside the house regardless? Should I just not go out again until she finally gives in? Should I just save money and move out? Im genuinely so stressed and I'm already extremely depressed.

Has anyone experienced something similar? How do I deal with this when I'm still a minor, financially dependent on my family, and don't feel comfortable confiding in either parent? I genuinely need advice.


r/Advice • • 11h ago

Online best friend lied about their gender after nearly 2 years of friendship

13 Upvotes

In 2024, I (27F, but was 25 then) became friends with a girl online through a video game. Let’s call her Popcorn (25F but was 23 then). We quickly became good friends and started talking pretty much every day. We had quite a lot in common, and our conversations were usually about hobbies, games, work, and just everyday things. Occasionally, we’d talk about anxiety or things we were struggling with, but nothing too deep.

She was quite quiet and sometimes struggled to respond to things, but she explained that it was because of her autism and social anxiety. I understood and got used to the way she was, so it never really bothered me. I genuinely enjoyed talking to her and liked her as a person.

Fast forward several months, almost a year, and we still hadn’t spoken over voice calls or exchanged photos. At first, I assumed she might not be very confident or perhaps had some bad experiences in the past. I know these things aren’t necessary for an online friendship, but personally, I feel like they help you get closer to someone, especially when you can’t meet them in person. It’s nice to be able to put a voice or face to the person you’re talking to, and for me, it also feels like a sign of trust.

As more time passed, though, nothing really changed, and I started feeling like we weren’t getting any closer as friends. We considered each other best friends, and we’d even sent each other birthday gifts. She arranged mine through my ex-boyfriend at the time, and I sent her parcel to a post office for her to collect. So, it wasn’t as though we were just casual online friends.

I really value close friendships, and I want to feel like I’m genuinely getting to know the people I care about. As much as I liked her, I was upset that our friendship never seemed to progress beyond a certain point. Eventually, I started distancing myself a little. I went from messaging her every day to maybe every other day, and we stopped playing games together as much.

I know I could’ve handled things better and communicated how I was feeling instead of pulling away. I’m not a very confrontational person, and I had tried bringing it up before, but she seemed uncomfortable, so I’d leave it alone. When she noticed I was acting distant and asked me about it, I blamed it on the personal things I’d been dealing with that year, which she already knew about, rather than being honest about the actual reason.

One evening, she joined me on a game, and we ended up having one of those late-night conversations. I’d been stressed about some unrelated things and was venting when she mentioned feeling lonely. I told her I felt the same way, and I finally worked up the courage to tell her that I was upset we never seemed to get to know each other on a deeper level. I explained that I would’ve liked to have voice calls or even just know what she looked like.

For context, she knew what I sounded like, and I’m pretty sure she knew what I looked like, too. I’m comfortable sharing those things with people I trust, and I guess I’d hoped that, after so long, we’d reach that point in our friendship.

She apologised and said it was something she couldn’t do. That was pretty much the end of the conversation.

After that, we spoke even less. We’d occasionally play games together, but we’d mostly just talk about the game, if we spoke at all. I ended up withdrawing again because I felt a bit silly for putting so much effort into making her feel comfortable and hoping we’d eventually become closer, when it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen.

I started thinking that maybe I needed to put more energy into other friendships that felt more fulfilling. I still cared about her, but I was struggling with the fact that we considered each other best friends when I didn’t feel like I really knew her that well, if that makes sense.
I can’t remember exactly when we had that conversation, but it was a few months ago now, and we’ll have been friends for two years this December.
Fast forward to now, and she recently messaged me explaining everything. She told me her real gender, name and age, explained why she’d lied, and said how terrible she felt about keeping it from me for so long. She also said she wanted us to continue being friends and reassured me that our friendship hadn’t been a lie, just her identity.

Honestly, I was stunned. I wasn’t angry, if anything, I felt sad for her knowing she’d been carrying this secret for so long. I replied not long after her initial message, telling her I wasn’t going anywhere and that I still wanted to be friends. I wanted to reassure her that everything was okay and that I wasn’t going to abandon her over this.

But now, I feel like I might’ve responded too quickly. I probably should’ve taken some time to process everything before reassuring her, because the more I’ve thought about it, the more conflicted I’ve become.
I feel betrayed. I’ve spent nearly two years being friends with someone I believed was a girl, sharing personal things with her that I probably wouldn’t have shared if I’d known she was actually a guy. Now I feel embarrassed and stupid, even though I know I couldn’t have known.

The weird thing is, I remember occasionally wondering to myself, “What if she was actually a guy? Would that bother me?” And at the time, I honestly don’t think it would’ve. But now that it’s actually happened, I feel completely different, and I don’t really understand why.

I think if she’d told me earlier in our friendship, I probably wouldn’t have cared as much. But finding out after almost two years feels different. I have absolutely no problem being friends with guys, so it’s not that. It’s more the fact that someone I trusted wasn’t honest with me for so long, and I was sharing things with someone without knowing who they really were.

I don’t want to cut him out of my life, because I do still care about him and the friendship we had. At the same time, I’m struggling to separate the friendship I thought I had from the reality of what’s happened. I don’t know if I can just carry on as normal, but I also don’t want to throw away two years of friendship.
I guess I’m just struggling to figure out how I feel and what I should do moving forward. Has anyone been in a similar situation, or does anyone have any advice?

Apologies for such a long post! Just wanted to give as much context as I could.

Edit about ages, hope it makes sense!


r/Advice • • 13h ago

I am struggling with my body image and depression; my parents won't let me go to therapy

11 Upvotes

For starters, this is a new account because I didn't want to post this on my main.

I have been struggling for basically my whole life with my body image and depression and now it's worse than ever. I am a 19 yo M (almost 20) and i am overweight. To be exact, I weigh 120kgs and i am 176 cm tall so, to spare you the math, my ideal weight would be in the 70-85kgs range.

With that said, i hate how i look and it has gotten so bad it is genuinely kind of ruining my life. Every piece of clothing i put on doesn't look good on me (and that's assuming i even find stuff that even fits my body) and i going outside feels genuinely uncomfortable. Clothing doesn't feel good because of my body and i am ashamed of looking like this.

As a consequence, i am depressed. I have zero motivation to do anything: i have not been showing up to uni lectures or studying much because i simply am too lazy (and i know this is a depression symptom).

I also don't have friends basically. I have one friend but we can basically only see each other once every two months because he lives in another town and going to a different university. Me and this one friend have been growing more and more distant as time passed. I am alone. Every time i show up to a lecture, everyone is smiling, talking to each other while I'm just there also.

I have tried making some efforts in the past like going on a diet, going to the gym, running but i always ended up falling into my old habits of eating the pain away. I honestly can't say which is causing which: is it my body image crisis causing depression or is it depression making me eat a lot and get big?

With everything said, my parents have some... Interesting views on therapy. They describe therapists as "Air vendors" aka people who will take your money and give nothing in return. They don't think therapy is useful. If i asked them to go to therapy, they'd probably just think I'm crazy (could try to ask but that's just what's going to happen, they're set on the "therapy is useless" idea). Also, my country (Italy) is going through a tough economical time and even if they were supportive, i don't even think we could afford to send me to therapy and also university ecc...

What should i do? How can i finally heal and stop wasting even more of my life's best years? I've already missed out on so much and I'm just so tired. How can i find the motivation to do what i must? Who can i talk to? How can i lose this weight that has been ruining me for so long?


r/Advice • • 18h ago

I’m trying to fix a situation and my future MIL and fiance are not with it

10 Upvotes

A few weeks ago an argument broke out between my mom and my future mother in law where my mom said to her people call her a whore. Last month of my life has been pure hell. My fiance keeps holding this over my head. I have been crying non stop trying to think of solutions, trying to get my mom to apologize which she will not.

My fiance at any inconvenience to him the last few weeks says this relationship is over. I keep saying okay it’s over but it never really ends. I told him yesterday his mom is not welcome to come to my parents house to get her hair and make up done due to the situation and not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable. He lost it and said it’s over again. Ok this time for real just end it. He texted me this morning going off on me and I said you keep ending it. Call all the vendors and cancel.

He just isn’t calling the vendors. My mom called his mom to try and fix things and his mom said no my mom is the problem and hung up on her. I keep trying to fix things and asked all of them to meet up in a public place to resolve this and my future mother in law left the chat. I keep coming up with solutions and both my fiance and his mother don’t like anything I have to say. I’m trying to fix everything and nothing is good enough for them. It’s like they want their way or nothing.

Keep in mind now this entire argument was because my future mil didn’t want me inviting my family members to our rehearsal dinner she was paying for that my parents so gratefully said they paid for any extra people and she did not accept that.

My fiance never sides with any of my solutions and I keep telling him I know what my mom said was wrong but he is holding it over my head. Yet how is my parents going to allow his mom in my parents house to get ready if she says she doesn’t want to fix things after my mom tried reaching out to correct what was done. He thinks my parents are wrong. All of this is so childish.


r/Advice • • 2h ago

My parents don't like how I eat

8 Upvotes

I was labeled a picky eater when I (16M) was younger. I would eat roast potatoes, fries, chicken nuggets and sometimes noodles with no sauce or anything. But if anything else was on my plate I wouldn't eat and I was in and out of hospital for years. I was fed through a tube for a while and then my parents were told to let me eat whatever I would and I was placed in feeding therapy. But when I was 10 they started to get annoyed that I was making no progress so they tried to fool me by blending stuff into my food and I hated it. I noticed and would stop eating.

When I was 12 I was assigned a social worker and put in an eating disorder clinic. I got way worse even with help from the clinic. So when I was 14 I was sent for inpatient treatment for kids with eating disorders. I spent four months in the clinic and I made a lot of progress. I was also diagnosed with ARFID. In the facility I found new things I liked and I learned how to make "meals" that worked for me.

My parents were told they should let me cook my own meals and they should support me in eating how I did, because it opened up so many paths for me. My parents agreed but they never really liked it and they have complained about how I eat every day since summer break started (back in May).

How I eat the best is small portions of different meals served together. So like a small portion of soup, a small portion of lasagna (with pulled chicken vs ground meat), some kind of spicy chicken and a small portion of stir fry. That would be one meal for me. It's not like a lasagna and salad or a stir fry whole. For breakfast it could be like a small scrambled egg with a rice ball and apple sauce. This has increased my diet so much and I eat every day because I eat like this and I eat veggies and fruits which I never used to do.

My parents find it weird and unpractical and a waste of time and food. They have been told by the professionals that this is healthy for me but they don't care. I batch cook my meals on weekends most of the time to make life easier for me and that's when they're the worst.

I don't know if I should try to ignore it the best I can or keep trying to address it. My parents make meals more of a struggle for me again which sucks the most.