How do I (24F) get my boyfriend (26M) to take pride in our living space and clean more?

your unwillingness to break up with him is probably why this is still happening. he’s taking you for granted because he knows you won’t leave, and if you want this to last you might need to have some uncomfortable confrontation. otherwise you’re just going to keep doing all the cleaning etc. to appease him and you’ll become tired and resentful about it. if he’s not respecting you or your shared spaces you need to be direct with him. you dont need to be mean, but you can’t be a pushover or nothing will change. my advice would be to have a serious conversation about the things that are bothering you and let him know that you aren’t going to settle for it (this doesn’t mean threatening to leave, or leaving, it’s just demanding a normal level of respect from your partner)

if he doesn’t know what to do around the house, you could make a chores list and split them up between yourselves however you both decide. it adds accountability and can be a good reminder if he’s genuinely trying to improve his habits but for some reason doesn’t know how to clean (at 26 years old?)

(also, if he’s gaming there’s literally no reason why you can’t watch TV. your time to unwind in your house shouldn’t be dictated by his xbox party lmao tell him to buy some noise cancelling headphones)

/r/relationship_advice Thread