Yikes, @veritek! Glad you guys are ok. And hope you feel okay physically, too. I once involved in a five-car pile-up on a highway and we all walked away unharmed, thank goodness, but I was SO sore the next day. Hope your dad is doing better, too.

@hfantods Glad you guys had a good time! I generally have been able to enjoy myself vacationing with an SO’s family, but it can be tiring.

I’ve listed my apartment for relet online. I’ve had about three people flake out with no notice for scheduled times to see the place, which is frustrating. Yesterday a guy came by with his dad to view it and they treated it like a condo showing. Turned on every faucet, flushed the toilet, tested the outlets, opened every cabinet. And after they left, he texted to ask questions like how many outlets there are (he forgot to count!) and asked if I could send him screenshots of my most recent electric and gas bills. I’ve never been this thorough in my life with a rental. I’m hoping his follow up, though odd, means his interest is sincere because I’d like this particular worry off my shoulders.

BG and I are doing an overnight near a beach town in western Michigan this weekend and I’m excited. It was supposed to be a long weekend trip near another beach town in MI, which I was very much looking forward to, but we cut it down to one night and changed locations to cut costs with our move coming up. Looking forward to it regardless.

Hmm. I don’t know your dad, but my dad rarely weighs in on these things and when he does, he’s been right. Of course maybe he’s just reacting to the moving in together aspect, but what’s your take on what he could be referring to?

No clue, tbh. My whole immediate family dynamics are pretty whacky to other people. My dad and I don’t have much of a relationship and it’s a fairly awkward one when we talk. He was a really controlling and critical dad growing up and was not good to my mom in many ways.

Anyway, he’s met my boyfriend maybe three times in the 2+ years we’ve been dating, and in those times, hasn’t really tried to get to know him. This is just how my dad is, it’s not a reflection of my boyfriend. He’s never shown an interest in getting to know anyone I’ve dated, or even friends who were frequently around when I was growing up. If he thinks my boyfriend is a bad pick, I don’t know why because he doesn’t know him. He then asked me if there were any legal implications, and my immediate reaction was, “Oh, he’s just wondering if I did something dumb by buying property with a boyfriend,” and I told him no. After we hung up, I realized he may have been asking if we quietly got married. Also no.

My mom likes my boyfriend. She hasn’t congratulated us — my parents are generally unsupportive and this is not out of character — but has been otherwise supportive even though she’s not going to tell us she’s excited for us. She’d speak up if she thought it was a bad idea, and I’d put stock in her opinion. My dad’s? Not as much. But the way he approached it just made me feel frustrated and kinda shitty because it felt critical of a relationship he knows very little about. Like even if you’re not excited for me or don’t think it warrants a congratulations or just want me to understand it’s not a step to be taken lightly, that’s fine — but something like a “Wow, that’s a big step,” would’ve been a better reaction.

Yeah, it’d be nice to have more supportive parents, but I don’t bother getting upset about it at this point. They are who they are and their awful marriage has really colored their perspective on a lot of things. Which is understandable. My sister is excited for us and is going to help me pack and wants to help us get settled in. And that means something to me!

@TheLadyE I’m glad you got to spend some time with your boyfriend, even if it involved distancing and masks. I’ve felt very grateful to have my boyfriend through all of this. Physical touch — even just the ability to get a hug or whatever — is important! I listened to a podcast about how people who were single or otherwise alone during the pandemic have been dealing with “skin hunger.” Like people described what it felt like to accidentally graze a cashier’s hand or how they’d try to self-soothe after going so long with zero touch.

As an aside, one of my friends is married to a doctor and had a baby in May. In March, her husband got sick and they didn’t know what it was at the time so they had to wear masks at home, keep their distance, and clean like crazy for… awhile. He later got an antibody test, and his March illness was COVID. If my friend caught it (we may never know) she was totally asymptomatic. The last couple months of her pregnancy were very stressful on them.

I’m sorry your dad made you feel cruddy @Copa. Even if it is not a reflection on your boyfriend that’s not what you want to hear.

I can’t really imagine what my parents will say when/if my boyfriend and I move in together. I can’t imagine they will congratulate me. They are more conservative that way. They might even ask what copa’s dad asked but just a way to check in.

I’m glad you and your bf are making things work @TheLadyE. I kind of feel like a bad gf because my boyfriend is immunocompromised due to his medication with Crohns. He has been ok with everything we are doing but obviously I do not want to transmit to him.

Hmm @Cleo, that sucks but at least you know relatively sooner than later.

I wanted to add that it’s been so amazing to see how much my relationship has grown. We went on our first road trip a few months in. The car ride felt natural and not awkward but I wasn’t comfortable singing in the car. Now I sing poorly and I put my feet up on the dashboard (with his permission). We are celebrating our three year anniversary this weekend! I think we will just go out for dinner.