Sincerely,
A naïve romantic
Dear naïve romantic,
It really depends on your own personal situation, so I think you should talk to him about it and see what he thinks. Usually, boys like to take girls out and give them roses and chocolates on Valentine’s Day because it’s what’s expected, but the girls are lucky enough to have the option of choosing whether or not they want to get the boys anything. Since you want to show him you care, and it’s your first Valentine’s Day together, I think you should definitely write him a nice card and get him ice cream or something after dinner. Unless you guys have talked about exchanging gifts, you shouldn’t go crazy and buy him something expensive. Let him take you out and have a nice time! Anything you get him I’m sure he’ll appreciate. Good Luck!
Sincerely,
Emma
Dear Emma,
My relationship with my boyfriend is in a weird place. We have been together for over a year and everything was good, until I suspected he was talking to somebody else. When I go to his dorm he texts the entire time, and when we go out and are around a girl with whom he claims to just be friends, he ignores me. Should I investigate further? I am too scared to look at his text messages because I don’t want to read his conversations out of context and jump to conclusions, but I also don’t want him to think I suspect him of being unfaithful.
Sincerely,
Paranoid girlfriend
Dear Paranoid Girlfriend,
Before you do anything crazy like going through his phone, you should probably ask him why he’s acting so strange. Don’t necessarily bring up your suspicions about this other girl because he might get defensive, but you should definitely confront him about his behavior. When he’s with you and he’s on his phone, ask him to put it away or ask him if you should leave because he’s busy having a conversation with somebody else. Texting while you’re spending time with someone is rude regardless of who he’s talking to, so you should mention that the next time it happens. You can’t wait for these things to build up because it’ll only get you more and more upset, and he won’t know why because you didn’t point them out to him. If he gets defensive anyway, start your argument with “I feel…because you did this.” He can’t argue with the way you feel; it’s how you feel. He can only acknowledge that his behavior is causing you to feel a certain way, and if he doesn’t want to change it, then you know where you stand with him. You’ve been dating for over a year, so he should be understanding, but if he’s not, know when to walk away. Good Luck!
Sincerely,
Emma
