I’m in a 7-month relationship and I’m not sure if the differences between me and my girlfriend are things we can work through or if they point to bigger incompatibilities. I’d really appreciate advice from people who’ve been in similar situations or who can offer perspective.
Things that work well:
She’s clear she wants to continue.
We both value honesty and loyalty, and I feel secure with her.
She’s caring and supports me in wanting to do better.
We’re both careful with money.
Similar educational/professional backgrounds, so we relate to career challenges.
Challenges I’ve noticed:
My mom isn’t very accepting due to cultural/religious differences (not a huge issue for me, but it’s there).
She can be a bit controlling sometimes (like wanting me to dress or behave a certain way).
She prefers me taking charge, but I don’t always want to.
Different senses of humor—we don’t often laugh at each other’s jokes.
Different coping styles: she analyzes problems right away, while I reframe things positively first to calm myself.
Different reading tastes (self-help vs. fiction).
She’s more romantic than me, and sometimes I feel like I can’t fully meet her needs there.
I’m trying to figure out if these are just normal relationship differences that we can learn to navigate, or if they might grow into larger issues down the line.
TL;DR: 7-month relationship with lots of positives but also key differences; not sure if it’s workable or long-term incompatible.