I think my BF is kinda dumb and it’s affecting our relationship

Let me preface by saying I do not want to breakup with my boyfriend.

My boyfriend (25m) and I (25f) are from quite different backgrounds. I have a double degree in science and work in corporate, and he dropped out and works in trade. I personally have no qualms with him working in trade, I think his knowledge on how to troubleshoot and fix problems is fascinating, especially since they’re things I don’t know how to do.

The issue lies in the fact that he is generally quite dumb. - Doesn’t understand words or concepts that are quite commonly discussed in everyday life around friends or colleagues; - will often use words and phrases incorrectly; - doesn’t do his own research about things and either believes what people tell him, or believes what he reads on the internet (covid) - doesn’t have financial intelligence and doesn’t try to learn for his own benefit (saving/investing etc)

To me, these are basic concepts that an adult in their mid-20’s should know. We can’t really have many in-depth conversations because he can’t follow along or he will usually say something completely off the Mark because he doesn’t understand.

Outside of this, I love him heaps. He is caring, thoughtful, generous and a loving partner and would do anything to make me happy. I just can’t get over the lack of general knowledge and awareness. When we are out with my peers he will usually make random comments completely unrelated to the topic at hand and it makes it quite awkward. His friends and family also think and acknowledge he is not smart, it’s almost like he doesn’t even try?

I love him but I can’t help but feel this will inevitably cause me to lose respect for him and turn into a toxic relationship. How can I change my way of thought and my perception of him to stop subconsciously rolling my eyes or tuning out whenever he says or does something that’s ‘dumb’. I don’t want to think of him like that any longer and would like to change my POV.

Any advice?

TLDR; boyfriend lacks general knowledge and intellectual maturity and it’s starting to make me feel like I will lose respect for him. How do I stop feeling that way about him as it is hurting his feelings and my confidence in our relationship.

Submitted August 26, 2021 at 06:32AM by mmijr https://ift.tt/3DjjSpD