I (34F) have been seeing a guy for a little while now and although we aren't 'a couple' so to speak, it's definitely been feeling like more than just dating.

But the other night he texted me a screenshot of our own What'sApp chat. I'd just texted him "next weekend seems so far away" because that was when our next date was. Anyway he sent the screenshot with the caption #singlemomenergy and he deleted it but I'd already seen it.

It seems like he meant to send that to somebody else and I was being made fun of.

I didn't mention it but now I feel like just calling it off completely

Tell me I’m wrong but the reasons for why dating is doomed here are:

1. Illusion of options leading to shallow relationships and no real accountability to do better
2. Mentally broken down people eating up garbage content on how to exist in a relationship
3. Women raised on social media with inflated egos that now think they’re absolved from being good partners
4. Men with low self esteem simping on women and thus inflating their egos
5. Phone addiction leading to social anxiety and now people don’t know how to socialize
6. (Biased here) Too many “im just a girl” girls who absolve themselves from being decent people with that line
7. Men who think they’re owed something for doing literally nothing, like haven’t approached women but still biased towards them
8. Toxicity is glamorized (from both genders)

In other countries, dating is still special unlike here, which feels like a burden more than anything else.

With everyone glued to their phones and social media, it feels like genuine connection is harder than ever to find. How do you navigate the world of dating apps, ghosting, and endless swiping to find someone who’s truly worth your time?

I've always assumed the "go to work and come home to kids" life sucked since it's what movies and TV portrayed.

But I... like it? I have a consistent schedule, I have a home, a garage to play in, a sports car, great wife, amazing kids, my colleagues are great, job pays just enough to cover bills.

I don't know but I'm happy lol. Sure there's some things I'd change, but overall I love my life.

Is this temporary? Will I eventually get tired of this?

My step dad left my mom when he was 45, got a ton of tattoos and bought himself a motorcycle. So I'm guessing he wasn't happy with his life. He's a great person and did more for us than my own dad so I don't judge him too harshly.

So. I am a mid 20s man. I am single and accepting that despite being rich and fit and polite I am not women's type so I will probably never get into a real relationship. I wonder how there are men out there who are in relationships and treat their partner badly. Sometimes men get girlfriends/spouses that are way above their level but they can't appreciate it. Why? Other men like me on the rare occasion they go on a date are over the moon yet some people have a perfect girlfriend and don't appreciate it.

I know this is nice guy mindset but I am still confused. It's like winning a million from the lottery and then complaining that you did not win 5. Why would you do that?

Edit :Thanks for all the comments. It's pretty hard to grasp the idea that no woman ever would want to sleep in a bed alone with me let alone have sex with me

• be me, 39M
• recently resigned from my medical residency for making mistakes
• worked very hard to get into the position
• felt like absolute shit
• currently engaged to a woman and have been with her for 6 years. Was with me when I had nothing
• cheated on her countless times when we were doing long distance for 2 years.
• haven’t had sex with her in almost 3 years. Very much attracted to her but just don’t desire to be intimate with her.
• haven’t gone on any trips nor do I care to spend time with her when I used to come home after working 15-16 hours
• met a nurse while at work
• very much enjoyed my time with her
• got intimate with her a few weeks ago
• she realizes that she doesn’t feel a connection and wants to stay friends
• I’m heartbroken. Calls me recently and says “wants to leave the door open”
• more upset that I’m a second choice for somebody when I have somebody at home that cares and loves me, but i treat them like shit
• feel like shit for being almost 40 years old and still not having my career set. All i think about is the nurse which I had an affair with. My fiance doesn’t deserve this but I also don’t want to lose her
• want to tell my fiance as the guilt is slowly starting to eat away at me
• i deserve to go to hell

I hope this is an acceptable place to post this

I know there will probably be some comments like this, so I just wanna respond to them right away

That's just because you're jelaous - Yes

That's not healthy thinking like that - Agree

Anyways. 28M, i have always had a hard time with women. I have had (and still have) female friends. But i always fall in love with them, which end it all

I'm still a virgin and never had gf. It absolutely kills me inside everyday. I hate everything about it. And hearing about all these happy relationships and marriges makes me so envy and sad

Of course i never express these feelings when people talk about it, because it's not their fault. And i don't wanna be the friend you can't talk to this about because of my own problems

It just hurts me so much. I want a partner so much, someone to share my life with. Talk with, laugh with, travel with, hear about their day. But it never goes that way. When I hear people talk about it (which is everywhere) it just makes me think even more about my situation and how different I feel from every other person on the planet

It's my biggest insecurity. Please be kind

Edit; I am a woman!!

I turned 28 in August and I’m hopelessly single. I get told I’m attractive, I’m fit, slim, tall, educated, well spoken, nice, sweet, independent, caring, loyal, monogamous, sober and want the same/similar in a partner. But it seems impossible for me to find a match??

Am I just destined to be single in life? I mean how can someone make it to 28 years old without ever having a relationship? Things just never work, even when I think “oh we’re finally getting to the point of a relationship “ they go back to their ex, move across the globe or get engaged to someone else.

Edit: wow the replies made me feel even more hopeless!

F27 wondering if there’s a point to life. Seems mostly boring and disappointing. I have a good job but fell out with my family and partner’s family and just feel like what’s the point in life. Feel ashamed of my past and just spend most days trying to be happy… it’s draining. Is it normal to feel absolutely sick of life in your 20s?

Laughed and told everyone who also laughed.

I have had 3 in my life , currently single

As the title goes what are the benefits of marriage

I am 15M. My mom and dad have been fighting nearly everyday, about something they won't reveal to me. It's gone to the stage where they're hitting the walls to prevent hitting each other. Yesterday I was in my room, and I heard them screaming at each other and then heard my dad starting to cry. I'm genuinely scared where this might end up at, please give me advice on how to deal with this. Maybe some tips on how I could contribute to end their fighting?

I loved my parents but they had a lot of issues. I don't remember how old I was when they divorced but there was a lot of yelling before dad walked out for the last time. My mom used words I never heard her use before. I didn't know my dad was cheating on her. One night she was screaming at the top of her lungs. I had a loud ping pong gun and I cracked it several times while screaming. She said is something wrong with you. I yelled no something is wrong with you. This started my life of avoiding confrontation and stuffing my feelings. Anyone have any ideas how to deal with these problems?

This is just gonna be a rant so whatever. Me and my now ex gf was so in love. For 5 years she has been by my side.. up until a week ago i just didnt feel like it anymore. I just felt trapped, scared that i wasnt living my life like i really wanted to and feeling like i need to fix my life by myself without anyones help. So i broke up with her. And now i regret it just hours later, but its too late, i already broke her and broke myself. And now im in my parents bed cuz i cant live in the same home as her.. i feel like shit. Thats it rant over

I (26m) had a severe stomach ache earlier today, but didn't have a car to get to the doctor's office. My dad (66m) is a very "manly" man, and was watching his favorite program, but he just turned off the TV and almost broke the speed limit to get me there when he saw how worried I was.

My stomach turned out to be fine (even though it still hurts) and as we were driving home I thanked him for taking me. He looked at me and said, "Of course. I would drive to end of the world for you."

I almost never cry (I don't have a problem with it, I'm just not a cryer), but I nearly broke down right then and there.

Back in high school, I had a close guy friend in my class. We shared a lot of interests, and I think he respected me for doing well academically. I’m not exactly what you’d call attractive—average or maybe even below average. I’ve got thick glasses because of my bad eyesight and dark circles that never seem to fade. I’d never had a boy show any romantic interest in me, so when this guy started treating me differently, I began to wonder if there was something more.

He would always ask me to hang out whenever he had plans and talked to me for hours about all sorts of things. The way he treated me made me feel special, and I started to think that maybe, just maybe, he was a little interested in me. I wasn’t entirely sure about my own feelings, but I started to like him—a little, not overwhelmingly so—but enough to enjoy the way he made me feel.

Then, one day, our group of friends decided to play Truth or Dare. We were all sitting in a circle, laughing and having fun as we took turns spinning the bottle. When it landed on him, he chose "truth." One of our friends asked him the classic question truth and dare question: "Is there any girl in our class that you’re interested in?"

My heart skipped a beat. For a moment, I thought he might say my name. Looking back, it’s a bit embarrassing, but at the time, I really believed he might like me too.

But then he said her name—the prettiest girl in our class. I was stunned. In that instant, I realized a harsh truth: No matter how well a boy treats you or how much you hope, he will always choose the pretty girl over you. It was naive of me to think that someone could be interested in an average-looking girl like me.

Despite the shock, I never blamed him or felt any resentment. Everyone has the right to like whoever they want, and he was genuinely a nice guy. He always treated me with respect and care, and I’m truly grateful for that. It was my mistake to confuse his friendship for something more. We remained good friends until high school ended, though we lost touch when we went to different colleges.

Now that I’m in college, I’m still single. No boys have shown any interest in me, and I haven’t developed any crushes either. I feel like having a crush is pointless since I don’t have the courage to confess my feelings, and the fear of rejection is too strong.

But I’ve learned something important: less expectations you have more happier you will be.

This is generally speaking. If anyone has found deep and genuine connection then great for them, but from what I have experienced and witnessed, human connection is so shallow. No wonder there is a loneliness epidemic.

They have shows like “pop the balloon” where people will not give you chance because of the color of your shirt or a hairstyle. Romantic relationships I’ve seen, people just constantly argue and fight. One person does most of the work while the other slacks off, hardly making it a partnership. They talk terribly about each other behind their backs, but yet trip out if the relationship were to end.

Similar things happen in friendships. I see people talk massive trash about each other behind each other’s backs and then within the next 5 minutes walk and laugh together. I’ve seen so many friendships form from the hatred of someone (a lot of times I have been the target) then they betray each other. Like duh that would happen when you trust someone who aligned with you over foul behavior. Not to mention how much people judge and make fun of you over how much money you make, job titles, your car, where you live, what type of toothbrush you have, what type of bag you have, etc., as if everyone isn’t out here just trying to survive. The hilarious part is these same people who judge throw fits if anyone judges them.

There’s CONSTANT competition everywhere from everyone. No one wants to bond over good things, they just want to be on top. I’ve spent my whole life trying to have human connection and thinking there was something wrong with me for getting bullied or not being wanted romantically, but I realize now that humans are way too shallow and most connections are fake. Explains why this world is going downhill fast.

I just feel so grateful and lucky to have a wife like my wife. I'm one of those men who had a horrible background. I just got lucky and now has a successful life - we obviously have different views on success but for me, having my own house, car, a decent income and a family (wife and kids) are 'it'.

My wife, she's old school - she's beautiful, intelligent, caring, kind and she's my number one fan and she makes me a better person without asking. Just wanna appreciate her in this post and maybe attract others to appreciate your spouses as well.

My sister is marrying a man 20 years older than her. I don’t know why but it kind of weirds me out. Should it matter? Do people even really care about age now a days? Love is love, right? :)

Hi all, as a 26 year old that will be turning 27 in a few months I’m interested to know what life was like for you at 27? Do you have any advice as well? Thanks in advance

Take drugs or take up smoking.

Seven years into this relationship and these 50 somethings have found each other. We have both gone through horrible divorces. We are both empty-nesters. We each have our baggage and somehow she is so patient and kind. She told me from the start that she just wanted one thing…Peace. Our house is a place of peace, love, joy, conversations, and coffee, just truly amazing. Sometimes I just shake my head. It’s amazing to finally feel loved for who I am and to love someone else without waiting for some sort of drama.

Are you in the same kind of spot? I hope so.

I have been seeing this girl (F20) for over a couple of months now. She is a very attractive girl and the relationship was going great until she started bringing up her past relationships and trauma. I know that nobody is a saint and that everybody has a past but the amount of baggage she has seems to be a lot for a 20 year old. She has been with 16 people, half of these happened in a 3 month span. She has mostly been in toxic relationships and has admitted to cheating before. She also said that she had videos of her and her past hookup get leaked to the point where many people she knew saw it. There is a lot more but I think you get the idea.

After she told me all of these things I started to get this feeling that is just constantly causing me to be anxious and feel sick to my stomach. I think this is me subconsciously telling myself that this isn’t right and that I need to get out but I’m not sure. Have any of you guys experienced this before and do you think I am correct in thinking that I’m subconsciously telling myself to get out? I have never experienced this in previous relationships and don’t have a ton of dating experience so any advice on this is much appreciated.

My son is 12 years old and in the seventh grade, and last night I heard him talking to one of his friends on his iPhone. He was describing to his friend in graphic detail how "hot" and "sexy" he finds one of the girls at his school to be, and then I heard him say that he would do anything to "f*** her brains out." It made me absolutely sick to my stomach to hear my little boy saying those things. He is only 12 years old, children at his age shouldn't even be thinking about things like that. Obviously, something very wrong is going on with him. What should I do about this?