My boyfriend (26M) and I (27F) have been dating for about a year.
He is an only child. Even before we started dating, I noticed that his family had strong controlling tendencies—but I never realized it was this bad.
On weekdays, if he goes out at night, they keep pressuring him to come home quickly. On weekends, he usually can’t go out much at all, and overnight trips with me are completely off-limits.
I thought things would improve as our relationship went on, but instead, it feels like they’ve gotten worse 🥺. Maybe his parents sense that he’s serious about me and feel threatened? They seem hostile toward me even though we’ve never met.
They’ve even said very rude things to him about me, accusing me of trying to “marry up.” But in reality, I earn more than he does, I contribute more financially, and I don’t spend his money at all 😔.
I’ve always longed for a relationship where both families are supportive. Now, I’ve finally met someone I want to spend my life with, but his parents’ negativity makes me feel helpless.
I don’t plan on breaking up right now, because my boyfriend does defend me and he genuinely wants to change his parents’ attitude. But honestly, I feel really stuck.
Aside from breaking up, does anyone have advice on how to deal with this? 🥺
TL;DR: My boyfriend (26M) and I (27F) have been together for 1 year, but his controlling parents dislike me, forbid him from going out/overnight trips, and even accuse me of “marrying up” even though I’m financially independent. I feel stuck, how can I cope with it?