Woman Debates Breaking Up with Boyfriend Due to His Disrespectful Behavior When She Met His Parents

Meeting a partner’s family can be nerve-racking, but for one woman, the hardest part wasn’t the parents — it was her boyfriend.

On Reddit, she explained that she has been dating her 28-year-old boyfriend “on and off” for two years. Recently, she drove two hours to meet his parents for the first time.

“I brought flowers and dressed nicely,” she wrote. “When I arrived, he kind of scoffed at me for bringing flowers.”

His parents, however, greeted her warmly. They hugged her and invited her to sit and talk. During the long conversation, she noticed her boyfriend barely spoke. Instead, he scrolled through social media and even leaned back with his eyes closed, almost falling asleep.

“I had a nice time chatting with his parents, but I felt really disrespected,” she said. “I think his parents were also put off by him. I was embarrassed, and it was stressful for me to carry the whole interaction.”

That evening, they went to dinner with his parents and some friends. Once again, he ignored the group and scrolled on his phone, while she kept hers in her purse the entire four hours.

“I also caught a few times where his mom was reminding him to say please and thank you to the hosts,” she added.

Since it was a long drive, they stayed overnight. The next morning, she saw he was about to leave the bedroom messy, with towels on the floor and the bed unmade. She cleaned up, saying she “wouldn’t treat [her] parents’ home like that.”

The woman admitted she now feels “really put off by his behavior” and is considering ending the relationship. Still, she asked if she might be overreacting.

One commenter responded: “Your bf sounds like a teenager. You’ve been dating on/off for two years & this was the first time meeting the parents? Seems like you have a lot to think about.”

She replied, “He has shown me some disrespect in the past and I called him out on it, but I was surprised he acted this way in front of his parents. Maybe you’re right, and this was his way of signaling to them I’m not important.”

Another user added, “When you’re with the right person, they don’t do things that confuse you. They’re consistent — caring, loving, respectful, and interested in you. Anything less is a red flag. The reason this relationship is ‘off and on’ is because it’s not a good one.”