Hi. I am a college sophomore and my boyfriend and I started dating about 4 months ago near the middle of fall semester. We have been friends since we both met as freshman a year ago.
Our relationship has been pretty solid during this time, and I think we compliment each other well and I can see us dating for a long time, and we talk about a lot of things with one another.
I haven't formally met his parents but he's close with them and they call or visit pretty often. I'm not as close with my parents but it's never been an issue. I would often see them when me and them are sitting in the audience at recitals or football games he's in but that's about it.
I didn't think they'd have any issue with us dating outside of it being race (since I am african american, he's white) ans they're the typical conservative Midwestern type.
But being from the south it wasn't a huge deal for me and didn't think much of it. Luckily the race thing wasn't what they had a problem with, it was my anxiety medicine.
Winter break started a few days ago so we're both home now, and my boyfriend called me to chat and mentioned how frustrated he was becoming with his mom, and how she doesn't approve of him dating me. He then says it's because she thinks I'm mentally unstable and coerced him into dating me so I could use him as my therapist and that because I'm taking anxiety medication then I must have incredibly serious mental problems so I'm not good for him.
Obviously I feel awful because he wanted to introduce us sometime next semester and I thought it'd be great, and that they'd like me. I also thought that that wouldn't be such a big issue because so many people are open about their mental health these days and I feel much more at ease with my friends being aware of my diagnosis and how to help me should I have any flare ups. I feel like I should just keep it private now and just keep it to myself.
And no, I don't run around telling every stranger but if my friends ask why I'm taking a medication at lunch or something or why I can't do xyz then I do want them to be aware, and it has helped so they can be more understanding of my issues.
I also feel bad because I'm worried that maybe they'll influence him to dislike me and that we won't continue being friends or will break up as a result.
He says that he doesn't care about her opinion, and that his dad doesn't agree with her saying that as well, and tried to reassure me about it but I still just feel awful about it.
For clarity, I've been on this medication for ~8 years now and take 3 small doses rather than one large dose because I have to eat with it and it's hard for me to eat a large enough meal for that to work effectively at once. I also receive counseling 1/hr every two weeks on campus as part of my medication plan.
Tldr; boyfriends mom thinks my anxiety diagnosis means I'm insane and that I am too unstable to date her son
I want to know if anyone has any advice and if anyone else had anything similar happen to them and the outcome the situation had.
Submitted December 21, 2019 at 12:24PM by throwout636291916382 https://ift.tt/392s8LO
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