A number of my (M26) friends are women. I’m travelling and my parents want me to send them pictures, but I can’t send them a single picture with a girl next to me without her becoming my girlfriend in their eyes.
I do fine for myself too! Actual girlfriends come and go and I tell them when I’m dating someone, and they hardly seem to care.
Kills me dude.
Too right.
My parents were all up in my business about my work, what I was doing, who I was seeing, and I felt smothered. Now I can see they just missed me and wanted to know about my life. Since we weren’t sitting around the table taking about our day the only way they could catch up was calling me. I didn’t realize how much their lives changed as I and my siblings moved out. All I could see was my future ahead, moving forward, out of the nest. Their entire lives and routines were being upended after 20 years.
They’re in their 80s now. Dad’s on the decline, I don’t think we’ll have him much longer. I hope OP can get some balance and perspective. Life is too short to hold into resentment
And the cats in the cradle…