I’m 20F, he’s 25M. We met in January and have been dating since last month. He’s already met my parents - they love him, and he hangs out at our house all the time. Literally no one has any issues with him, he’s super welcome here. I invited him to sleep over for a few days this week just for fun, but he said he’s not comfortable with it - apparently it feels too “intimate” for him? Like, he’s got this thing about doing private stuff with other people around. I just want him to relax a bit. We’re all adults here, and everyone knows people have private lives. How can I help him feel more okay with it?

  • PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk
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    2 hours ago

    Take sex off the table for the first few times of him staying over. he might be more comfortable if he knows theres no expectation of boinking.

    Then when he’s more relaxed with the idea of staying over down the road you can reintroduce the idea. don’t pressure tho

  • HowlsSophie@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    You probably can’t. This is a boundary for him and a better approach to this might be to get a better understanding of where he’s coming from (if needed) and respect that boundary.

  • expr@programming.dev
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    4 hours ago

    It’s perfectly reasonable to not want to sleep over at your parents’ house after only a month of dating. To be honest, it’s reasonable to not ever want to do that. It’s weird sleeping in someone else’s house period.

    But especially after just a month of dating, your parents may as well be strangers to him. He likely doesn’t have any sense for any cultural differences between how he was raised and your family, like what behaviors are considered faux pas to your parents, etc.

    To be honest I think you’re really getting ahead of yourself. Take your time with the relationship and build trust and the foundations of a great relationship. It always takes time and patience. You guys are still just starting to learn about each other.

  • shaggyb@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    You should really move out or stay at his place when you want to fuck. He doesn’t need to regress into your childhood.

  • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    I hate being at my inlaws’ for an extended period of time (hours). My spouse hates being at my parents’ in the same time period. You can both have totally normal, comfortable nights at your own parents’ place but find the experience entirely foreign and unsettling at the others’. The type of soap, the number of towels, the default amount of noise, the temperature, the forced formal interactions, the TV shows, the time of dinner, the existence of any activity other than your usual quiet night in, everything. Not wanting to be a disturbance in someone else’s place. Being under a foreign set of rules. Just everything.

    Do you feel normal sleeping over an aunt/uncle’s place? A friend’s parents’ place? A hotel? A hostel?

    I lived WITH my inlaws for a year. Still can’t stand it. Grateful for the financial relief at the time, but still uncomfortable enough to keep me driven to in debt myself with my own place ASAP.

  • Fleur_@aussie.zone
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    18 hours ago

    You’ve been dating a month? I’d say what you can do to “help” him is date him for about 6 months and see how things stand then.

  • ORbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    24 hours ago

    I am not sure why everyone here isn’t seeing the obvious. You’re 20 and live at home. He’s 25 and is a guy. You’ve been together for 4 weeks. 30 days.

    Your parents don’t “love” him. They are just tolerant and probably happy he’s not an awful goober.

    You are a love-struck 20 year old and may potentially not be picking up on cues or grasp the nuances of parenting and having an adult offspring in the house.

    He’s a guy, 25, and has likely heard his share of mischaracterizations from parents, or possibly been in a situation where he got caught sleeping over as a teenager… Or any other number of things fresh in his head from also being young.

    Neither of you have true license over this relationship while you’re not a fully autonomous person, paying your own rent and having your own place, sleeping over at your place is going to feel weird at 30 days or 3 years if you live with your parents.

    Give the guy a break. It’s not a comfortable situation. It won’t change with another person if you two break up and try again with someone else.

    • Dr. Moose@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Unless they come from a culture where living with your parents is absolutely normal which is surprisingly still very common.

      • KumaSudosa
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        10 hours ago

        In that case it wouldn’t be that common to have a “casual” boyfriend coming to sleep over after a month though

        • Miles O'Brien@startrek.website
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          23 hours ago

          They’re being helpful and assuming you may genuinely not know the word, and are giving you the correct version for the context.

          Getting defensive isn’t necessary.

            • Miles O'Brien@startrek.website
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              21 hours ago

              The “I’m doing the thing you’re doing but throwing it back at you” and “thanks or whatever” definitely is.

          • ORbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            23 hours ago

            Sometimes context will inform the reader whether or not the writer genuinely made a mistake or was ignorant or uninformed. I’m just being helpful here, so don’t get defensive.

            • CrayonDevourer@lemmy.world
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              20 hours ago

              It wasn’t meant in a negative way - I’ve just seen “Love Stuck” a couple times on lemmy and wanted to make sure you knew the correct version. You’re not the first I’ve seen call it that for whatever reason (typo or otherwise) so it was just kind of a general correction so others didn’t bone-apple-tea the phrase themselves.

              Sorry, it wasn’t meant to throw shade or anything. Usually after I make a mistake like that I go back and edit my post to fix it.

    • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I’d argue comfort could come after more time together in the right circumstances. Many couples choose to live with one sides parents to save money given the housing shortage many countries are facing. The catch is, this typically only works when both the parents and the couple are respectful of each others privacy and boundaries. This often equates to turning a basement into an apartment with sperate bathroom and kitchen/kitchenette.

    • WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works
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      18 hours ago

      paying your own rent and having your own place

      slightly off topic, but this is a contradiction. if you are paying rent, that is not your own place.

  • bitjunkie@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    It sucks that what you both want isn’t compatible, but you don’t really have much of a choice but to respect his boundaries. A gentle nudge in the right direction as others have suggested probably wouldn’t hurt, but just make sure you check in with him about it and he knows you’re not nagging or trying to pressure him to do something he isn’t (yet) comfortable with.

  • Migmog@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    Ask your parents to sleep in the same bed as you two for the first few nights. It’ll calm everyone down and help build trusting relationship bonds. If you need a bigger bed, I recommend the California king or Sultan bed size.

    • socsa@piefed.social
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      20 hours ago

      Yes, I’ve seen this one before. You start with a nice safe game of “who’s in my mouth?” And then once everyone is warm, you work your way up to ranked competitive sex. Before you know it everyone is too tired to be embarrassed.

  • Mothra@mander.xyz
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    1 day ago

    You don’t. I feel for him. He just needs time and you have to understand some people need their privacy and there is no amount of time spent together that can change that. I’m one of those people. I’d be equally tense with a friend’s family or my in laws if I had them, no matter how much I like them, no matter how well we get along.

    Edit: that being said, it’s possible he’ll loosen up as you say but there is also a chance the more pressure you put on him, the more you insist on welcoming him, will backfire.

    Just take it easy.

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    1 day ago

    I have been with my wife for thirty years and we’re still not comfortable having sex with her parents in the house.

  • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    This is like dealing with a fart. Force to hard and you’ll shit your pants. Best to let it work itself out.

  • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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    1 day ago

    Here’s just another way to look at it. He moved out of his parents’ house and lives alone now. He’s probably not looking to live with someone else’s parents on the regular, even if for only a few days. He probably enjoys his autonomy. He doesn’t mind you sleeping at his place because he likes you, but he didn’t sign up for the whole family.

  • HubertManne@piefed.social
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    23 hours ago

    Oh man. If you were 25 and he was 30 this would not be as much of a deal but I can see why he feels wierd about it. This is just an aspect of life. When your younger small age differences are more significant and more so if your living independently. Honestly even when your older its wierd with the parent child thing. It goes in reverse to. You have a single parent dating and the date spends the night and it can be wierd for the person not part of the household. I personally think you need to accept it and just see if he eventually gets to where he can manage doing it. I mean he is a guy so if the offer is on the table he will get around to mentioning it if he thinks he can handle it. Oh but it will hep to get it to the next level without the stay over. Go camping and he will be going with you and your parents will know so its like halfway sorta. Things like that. Or a weekend trip to a nice place with cabins or you know any type of weekend getaways type things.