I became a millionaire at 28, but I lost everyone I ever loved in the process. I grew up watching my parents struggle with money, so I promised myself I’d become successful enough to give them everything they deserved. And I actually did it. I’ve got the house, the cars, the money, and the freedom I always dreamed of. But I got so obsessed with making more that I forgot about the people I was supposed to be doing it all for. I’d ignore my mum’s calls because I was working, cancel family dinners because I had meetings, and tell my dad I’d visit next week. I always thought there’d be more time.

Eventually, my friends stopped inviting me out, my family stopped expecting me to show up, and the phone calls became less frequent. I tried making up for it with expensive gifts, holidays, and money, thinking I could somehow make things right. But you can’t buy back years of missed birthdays, conversations, and memories. My parents barely know what’s happening in my life anymore, and my old friends have moved on without me. The worst part is I can’t even blame them. I was so busy building a life that looked perfect from the outside that I completely neglected the people who actually mattered.

Now I’m sitting in a my dream house, driving cars I used to dream about, with more money than I’ll probably ever need, and nobody to share it with. Sometimes something happens and I instinctively reach for my phone to tell my froends or my dad, then remember we barely speak anymore. People tell me I’m lucky, but they don’t understand what it’s like to achieve everything you ever wanted and have nobody left to celebrate it with. I spent years thinking money would make me happy, and now I’d give anything to go back to those days when I had less money but my family was still around me.

The crazy thing is, I’m still a millionaire. I haven’t lost my money, and financially, I’m doing better than ever. But I lost the people I wanted to make proud in the first place. I spent my whole life trying to build a better future for the people I love, only to end up living that future without them. I don’t know how I’m supposed to go about things I really need help. How am I supposed to rekindle the relationship with my parents and friends?

I’m a 29 f who is expecting her first baby. My partner is a 39 m who has two kids (twins). They are 12. We just found out we are expecting on Monday and it has been hell between my partner and I since. I’m looking for advice. Im debating doing the single mom life.

Monday we found out I was pregnant. I had taken two other tests each day prior (so two days prior) and they had come back with faint lines, but I wasn’t positive I was pregnant so didn’t count it. Monday was a for sure pregnant. I started to panic. I’m a type one diabetic, so it’ll be a high risk pregnancy. I immediately went into solve mode. I wanted to set appointments and figure a timeline out and what to do. He was upset that I didn’t want to just “enjoy” the moment with him. He later told me it was unfair that I didn’t even ask him how he was feeling about it all.

The next night he came over late and was upset with me for not eating all day (I ate some chips, but not much else). I was randomly hungry, then was completely exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I fell asleep on the couch and he ended up leaving after yelling at me that I was being unsafe towards the baby by not eating.

Fast forward… he lives with his parents and his kids, so I can’t go to his house. He also can’t come see me until the kids are asleep and I’ve been next level emotional, so I haven’t wanted to see the kids because it would be obvious something was up and we don’t want to tell them yet.

I’ve been having cravings for steak and beef like crazy. He has come over with steak twice, which is sweet. He’s also gotten me breakfast once and a coffee twice. And he went to my endocrinologist appointment with me. & has been coming over sometime between 10:30-12 at night to spend some time with me even though he has to be up by 6:10 am to get his kids ready for school.

I have been exhausted. I have also been really emotional and very snappy with him. I feel so alone. I tried to tell him how I felt. Last night he came over and told me he feels like he’s doing everything he can and I act like it’s not enough. He says that it feels like only my feelings matter and that I’m not holding any space for him. He said I’m changing up on him and not acting like his kids should take priority anymore. He said I’ve been cold and I’m not being fair. I’m lost. I’m confused. I’m hurt. I don’t know what to do or what is right/wrong. He said I’m acting like we are having the baby tomorrow and need to get real.

okay so hi me(21M) well I've got a lot of issues and i don't even know where to start, I've got low self esteem, zero confidence, no self respect for myself, a lot of insecurities, anxiety, depression, people have superiority complex, I've got fkin inferiority complex, I get nervous a lot and lately i don't even feel like waking up, i don't even know what gets me out of the bed anymore, or why should I be even doing any of this, well i kinda know why am I this messed up, it's cuz since i was small i never had a father, and my mom was never home due to work, and yea a lot of stuff like that, anyways the point is , should I go to a THERAPIST, A PYSCHOLOGIST , OR A PSYCHIATRIST?

are they actually useful and will bring about changes in myself or its just a waste of money? cuz it's really costly and I don't wanna tell my parents about it, so yea would like to know yalls expireinces if any.

EDIT: THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE ILL DEFINITELY GIVE IT A TRY, BOOKED MY FIRST ONLINE SESSION THIS SATURDAY.

Last month I got a new employee at my job. They're trans and go by a gender affirming name. This isn't about that.

The other day, while I was clearing out some files, I found their d-name and their last name. I immediately put it together that this was their old name pre transition. I felt so guilty just seeing the name. I haven't told them I accidentally found out their old name, and I have no interest ever EVER EVER calling them by it, never ever ever. I just wanted to come here and say how can I get over this guilt.

I was given access to a bunch of files to sort out by them and didn't mean to read it. It was an accidental click and then an immediate close. Like, I thought I clicked X, but when it opened, it was actually Y. Like I was told to sort X files, and when I clicked through, I clicked one of the Y files.

I was just auto reading the documents, and when I noticed, I immediately closed and removed it from my recently seen documents. That's how nervous I felt, i didn't want anyone else to see it.

I feel so guilty cause I genuinely didn't mean to even see their d-name, I feel like I've done something that has greatly wronged them behind their back.

Do I inform them I accidentally saw the d-name, saying it was an accident, or do I just keep it to myself, and if I keep to myself how do I get over this nervous guilty feeling. I don't want to offend them in any way. Please advise.

I am not trying to bash my parents and this came as a genuine shock when I found out this was being said. The backstory I live in the same state as my parents about 4 hours apart from them. Because of our careers there are times when I need to travel for work and we have two young children that need care in the evenings that make it really tough for one parent to handle. We never abuse this ask and always try to find other options before asking for help. My parents agree and when they come down to help my mom typically brings food she made for all of us including the kids. I never ask her to do this and always say thank you it’s just something she does and if she didn’t I would cook and make food before leaving or order out. During the night routines my mom helps put my toddler to sleep by reading a book and putting him in his crib. My toddler asks for this and we don’t impose anything on my parents other than if they can just provide an extra pair of hands. Anyway I never got the impression they had negativity to this until recently when my cousin told me a what my mom had been saying to my aunt after they came back from helping us. He said your mom was complaining she had to cook all this food and bring it down for us when I never asked or expected her to do that. Then he said my mom was complaining how she has to put my toddler to sleep every-night when my toddler specifically asks for her. I was hurt to hear this because I would think grandparents would want to help their kid and grandkids but it seems they have resentment and complain behind my back. We don’t know if we can ask for their help anymore because of their feelings and wish they would have just told me they don’t want to help. Again we don’t abuse this ask, we really thought they wanted to help. I don’t know how to navigate my feelings on this and towards my parents.

i met this girl at a rave back in june. we danced, had a good time and exchanged numbers. we set up a date, had a good time and since then we’ve been seeing each other pretty regularly, at least once a week. for some context i’m 21 (m) and bi and cassie (fake name) is 20. she’s never been in a relationship or had sex whilst i’ve only been with men and have had sex

we pretty quickly started getting more intimate. a lot of making out and i’ve been pretty eager to get down on her and stuff as i said i kinda just wanted to get more comfortable around women and their bodies. she’s never had any complaints regarding what i do to her but she’s had a rough past with men and find penis’ a little icky. at first i was ok with it but as time has progressed i’ve only grown more frustrated with the lack of reciprocation. i don’t want to sound big headed but i have often been told, by other female and male friends, that i am an attractive man and that i have a very empathetic and caring personality which anyone would be honoured to have some sort of relationship with. however, cassie very rarely compliments me or makes me feel particularly desired other than the fact we do have hot make out sessions and she won’t want me to stop going down on her, but i am also a bit “relentless” (her words) with it too lol.

the thing is as time progressed we discussed potentially being in a relationship where she has always refrained from wanting to make things official as she claims she would be “difficult” in one as she has autism and adhd and that being friends fulfils the purpose just as much as she loves and cares for her friends very deeply. just with me we get up to shenanigans which she doesn’t do with her other friends. one night at the end of august, she was round mine, we were having some drinks and smoking and she asks “have you thought about getting with other girls” to which i said “yeah i have thought about it but ive had not intended to or plan to initiate anything with anyone” she got upset and as we talked i explained that i naturally had these thoughts as i wasn’t getting the same level of sexual fulfilment as she was getting and she felt like she wasn’t doing enough. i ended up confessing that i do have some feelings towards her, romantically, and she said that she had some as well but a relationship wouldn’t work. we hash things out. come up with an agreement as to our boundaries and all is well.

we’ve had a hiccup here and there since but 5 days ago i was at uni and intended to stay round hers afterwards. she said she was going out with her friends that day and mentioned i could join them afterwards. i explained that i didn’t want to intrude too much and would do some uni work anyway. i finish at 4 but got let out 10 minutes earlier and she said that she was staying until 5. my friend had a long weekend and asked to go for a pint at the student pub. i said sure as i planned to stay at uni for a bit anyway and let cassie know that i was going for a drink and would be an hour max, the pub she was at was only 10 minutes away from my uni. she then assumes that i wasn’t going to come and join her and she goes home. i get confused as i didn’t intend to change the plan but she got upset and left. one of my friends at the pub could tell i was stressed and things were heating up so they offered for me to come round instead. i ask cassie and this is when things got worse. we argue for a couple hours over text. we call and decide i will go to hers to talk things out. we talked, i thought all was good as we got our points across, apologised and went to bed in a good mood. we didn’t do anything as i didn’t want to initiate anything given the previous tension. i then wake up in the morning and she has a face that i can tell she’s upset. i ask what’s wrong multiple times and she’s adamant there’s nothing. i leave to go to uni. no message. i then send a message that i left her a sausage sandwich as she said she hadn’t eaten much the previous day so i just wanted to make sure she was looking after herself. she says thanks. i say your welcome and we haven’t spoken since.

what do i do ? i’ve spoken to my friends and they feel like she’s been using me to some extent and that she isn’t good for me relationship wise. i agree. we won’t workout long term. i want kids and she doesn’t is the biggest thing but i really value her as a friend. we get on so well but i feel like we’re at a point where we’re all in or somethings going to have to give. what do you think i should do ?

tldr: ive been seeing this girl for a few months. she gets the sexual benefits whilst i don’t get really any and we’re both adamant that a relationship isn’t on the cards for us but we got into a fight (that a couple would get into) and now we haven’t spoken since

So I figured this was the best place to ask, im really confused and just questioning myself. So I am a demigirl and pansexual with supportive parents, just not that supportive. Plus I have a family name that's feminine that I like, plus a more masculine middle name that's also after a family member. I think I'm nonbinary or something along those lines, I already pretty androgonys presenting and I'm mainly tied to femininity and present more feminine. But in the back of my mind I think about being a boy, about being a man and living like one. Then I'm mainly pushed to be more gender neutral, which I usually am but use she/they.

My family supports queer ppl but not trans people as much. I knew who I was at around 7 when I had a crush on a girl in school, but I was told that I was too young to know and it was just a phase. I'm out now bc its the 'appropriate' age for me to know now that im in high-school. They're less keen on trans people, and that goes for most of my extended family, especially the family on my mom's side who (other than my grandma, her kids and grandkids, and my uncle D and his husband) is extremely Mormon or Christian. You have ​no idea how they talk about him behind his back, and I dont want to be a freak to them. My dad's side is less supportive, everyone is extremely catholic and conservative bc they're from Mexico/Spain. ​I not out to any of my extended family. What do i do? I'm considering just being a woman atp, it would beless of a hassle to explain and make things easier

I posted about a year ago about the same man. We are a heterosexual couple in our early 30s. Still unmarried. Just committed.

I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this, but I genuinely don’t feel sexually attracted to my partner anymore. We have been together +5 years, and more if we count us being acquaintances but stayed in touch.

I live in the same city as him, barely 4 km away. We meet every day and even go to the gym together. We spend so much time together, but there’s no sex anymore. He does initiate, but my body just repulses it. I feel irritated when he touches me, and I have absolutely no desire to take things further.

He has hurt me, disappointed me, and let me down so many times that something in me seems to have changed. It’s not even about being angry at him in the moment. It’s like all the feelings I once had for him have slowly died, and I don’t know how to explain it.

Now, even when he touches me, instead of feeling good or wanting to be close to him, I feel irritated. Sometimes, it genuinely pisses me off. I don’t want his touch, I don’t crave intimacy with him, and I don’t feel that desire I once had.
He didn’t marry me when I wanted us to get married about 1-2 years back, and I think that disappointment has stayed with me. There are many more. I recently shifted to his city. But before that, he never made plans to see me. Only when I travelled to his city, we’d see each other.

He doesn’t plan anything on his own or take the initiative to do things without being told. It’s like he keeps his brain completely shut off and only does things when I specifically ask him to. Even then, he doesn’t do everything. He delays things, puts them off, or does them whenever he feels like it, taking his own sweet time. I’m tired of having to think of everything, ask for everything, and then wait for him to do the bare minimum.

At this point, I’ve promised myself that I will not marry him. I know that might sound harsh, especially because he has helped me and my family financially a lot, and I genuinely acknowledge that. I’m grateful for what he has done for us. But outside of financial support, I feel like he contributes very little to the relationship in terms of initiative, effort, emotional support, and taking responsibility without being asked.
I sometimes wonder whether this is resentment, emotional exhaustion, or whether I’ve simply fallen out of love with him. It feels like every disappointment, every hurtful experience, and every time I’ve had to ask for things that I wish he would do willingly has taken something away from my feelings for him.
And now, even when he tries to be affectionate, my body just doesn’t respond the way it used to. His touch irritates me instead of making me feel loved or desired.

Is it normal?

ok so to keep it short I am in the process of ending a very toxic relationship with someone who has serious attachment issues. I also have my own issues. but regardless, we had a volatile night last night and enough is enough. we both have a mutual friend who is throwing a halloween rave thingy tonight and we've both been looking forward to it. obviously i'm no longer going with him. but he keeps telling me he's going no matter what. and even though all of MY friends will be there, I don't think I'll be able to ignore him coming up to me and stuff without drama. should I go? I really can't decide. I bought a fit just for this event but I may have to just put it aside :/

i would say i know the basics and all that relax lips, be gentle with the tounge…
but i dont know abotu top lip and bottom lip.
do i just “grab” her top or bottom lip with mine and do it again(idk how else to describe) or what…

I am about to fly to Nepal to hike to Everest Base Camp with my two dear friends. This trip has been in the making for years and it’s finally here.

The problem? My wife and 18 month old are back at home and I miss them to the point where this trip isn’t even worth it. Despite spending thousands of dollars to make this happen, I am tempted to find a ticket counter and get on the next flight home. My first flight out, I cried so much that it hurt my stomach and almost puked.

What would you do?

I (23F) went on the best date I've ever been on yesterday. The guy (34M) was absolutely lovely, he was kind, polite, and considerate. I usually split money on every date I go on, but he insisted on paying for everything. We talked about politics and we agreed on it all. He was brilliant and I was so excited to go on another date.

This morning I decided to look him up online because I had asked him about his work and I didn't fully understand, so I thought I'd have a look at his LinkedIn and figure out what it actually is. Then, unfortunately, I found no LinkedIn, but I did find a Facebook post from another man with a photo of my date saying congratulations on his marriage from 2023.

Sure, it's possible he got divorced since, but in his culture divorce is not very common, in fact it is very rare. Plus, 3 years is such a short time, it seems so unlikely that he got married and divorced so fast.

I don't know what to do. I cannot and will not date a married man, but I don't know how to bring it up to him. If he IS divorced, it is very awkward to admit I stalked him. If he isn’t, he may just lie. Any help is so appreciated!

Edits: Spelling

I ended things with a girl who I have no idea why I kept pushing away but I did. She was the only women that I felt actually loved me and I did not handle it well at all.

I genuinely miss her, and I know I’ll never see her or talk to her again.

But finding out she’s with a doctor hurts a bit. I struggled with finding a better job and I felt it played a role on myself confidence.

I’m now 34 and probably will be alone the rest of my life and I have nobody but myself to blame

My boyfriends best friend is currently transitioning (mtf) but he has been friends with them since childhood so i feel its wrong for me to even bring up anything, the only reason I’m upset is because he doesnt like me having Male friends even if theyre gay (i no longer talk to my male friends out of respect for him), I Feel upset bc his best and ONLY friend is transitioning to a girl now.

edit: the caption sounds terrible im sorry ya’ll i did not mean for it to sound bad like if im upset that his friends trans it was just all i could come up with atm😭 i just found out before i posted this that his friends currently transitioning

I’m a woman from the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia, and I’m writing this post while shaking and crying because I genuinely don’t think I can keep living like this for much longer. Please, if there’s anything I can do to build a life in a country that respects human rights and gives me the freedom to live as a human being, I’m willing to try.

A little background about me: I’m 24 years old, Saudi, and I’ve left Islam. I’m forced to wear a niqab, and I genuinely cannot go anywhere in public without covering my face, even if I’m already wearing a hijab and a loose black abaya. The thought of spending the rest of my life like this is suffocating me. Not being able to walk or run freely, or wear whatever I want outside without having to cover my entire body in an abaya, is destroying me mentally.

I recently started thinking seriously about my future, and I literally began shaking with anger and grief. I realized that I’m being forced to live in a way that feels like I’m being oppressed and buried alive under layers of black fabric, all because of social expectations and a religion I no longer believe in and consider untrue.

I’ve also been thinking about the kind of family I want to have one day. The reality of marriage here terrifies me. The system feels deeply unfair to women. A wife can face enormous obstacles when trying to divorce, and she doesn’t automatically have the same rights to her husband’s property. Marriage is often arranged around family expectations, with the husband’s primary expected role being to financially provide, rather than building an equal partnership with someone who genuinely loves you, respects you as a person, and chooses you because of who you are. I want to marry someone I love, someone who loves and respects me in return, not someone chosen for me by my family.

I feel genuinely hopeless sometimes, and I’m willing to do almost anything to get out of here and finally live my life. The problem is that immigration requirements can be incredibly difficult to meet, whether it’s the financial requirements, the need for work experience, the availability of jobs, or all the other conditions.

I feel like I shot myself in the foot when I chose to major in English. I was an excellent student in high school and could have pursued almost any major I wanted. But I was pressured into choosing a university close to home because my family threatened that if I enrolled at a university farther away, they wouldn’t take me there or financially support me, leaving me without the opportunity to attend university at all. Despite everything, I worked incredibly hard and graduated with a perfect 4.0/4.0 GPA. I did my absolute best with the circumstances I was given, but now I’m scared that my degree won’t be enough to help me leave.

My dream is honestly so simple. I want to be able to walk outside every day without feeling like I have to wrap myself in black fabric. I want to have hobbies like hiking, running, and walking in nature. I want to experience the freedom of being outdoors without constantly worrying about what I’m allowed to wear or how people will judge me.

I want to have a family someday, too. I’d love to meet a man who isn’t Muslim, who wants a family like I do, who respects women as equal human beings, values his wife as a partner, respects mothers, and actively participates in raising his children instead of leaving all the parenting to the mother. I want a relationship built on love, mutual respect, and equality.

The thought that I might live and die here without ever experiencing any of these things is absolutely killing me. I’ve spent so many days crying over this. I keep imagining a future where I never get to experience the most ordinary things that so many people around the world take for granted, simply because of where I was born.

I’m posting this because I’m desperate, and I genuinely don’t know where else to turn. If you’re from a country that allows people like me to immigrate, and you know of a realistic pathway with requirements that aren’t impossible for someone in my situation to meet, please tell me about it.

If you have any suggestions, advice, personal experiences, or ideas about where I could start, I would be incredibly grateful. I’m open to exploring any realistic option that could eventually allow me to live independently and permanently settle somewhere I can be free.

I’m exhausted from hoping things will get better here when I don’t see that happening. This post is my desperate attempt to reach out to anyone, anywhere, who might be able to help me find a way out.

You genuinely cannot imagine how grateful I would be for any help, advice, or even a little direction. If you’ve read this far, thank you. It means more to me than you know.

Why would my boyfriend’s ex tell their daughter to tell him that they would be in our town this weekend…..

She hasn’t allowed him to see her because she has full custody right now.

there is literally no reason for her to be here….5 hours away from their home town. Just last week she yelled at him on the phone to not talk about the future with his daughter (like a cool hiking trip she could take when she’s an adult to find an animal she’s interested in). We just moved here.

We don’t understand it. Why is she lurking our town.

Hi everyone. I am posting this anonymously because I am carrying an overwhelming amount of emotional weight right now, and I desperately need an outside, objective perspective to help me ground myself. To give some context: I am a medical school student currently living in a restrictive, hostel in some south Asian country.I am dealing with intense academic pressure, heavy family debt, and the stress of a demanding medical curriculum. About 8 months ago, I entered into a long-distance relationship. Because we live far apart, we haven’t even met in person yet. For the first several months, he was affectionate, consistent, and seemed open-minded. But over time, a deeply disturbing pattern began to unfold. He frequently brings up polygamy fantasies, shares memes about men having multiple wives, and praises fictional movie characters who manipulate their wives into accepting extra-marital affairs, calling them "cool" for "winning two women at once." When I calmly sat down with him to set my boundaries—explaining that I am strictly monogamous, and giving him a peaceful, mature out if non-monogamy is what he actually wants—he reacted with defensiveness and anger. He dismissed my discomfort as "just jokes" (famously comparing his desire for multiple women to "wanting to go to Mars"), while completely invalidating how much anxiety his words caused me. The double standard is staggering. While he feels entitled to keep exes in his background and entertain multi-partner fantasies, he demands an extreme, cult-like level of exclusivity from me. He has even suggested that I cut off my family and blood relatives—the very people who raised me, supported me through a failed entrance exam, and paid for my expensive private college seat so I can secure my future. The absolute breaking point happened recently on his birthday. He got heavily drunk, and for the first time in 8 months, I saw a terrifying, aggressive side of his personality. He smashed his Wi-Fi connection/router in a fit of rage, demanded that I "beg and pray" to him, and completely laughed off my absolute terror when I tried to express how scared I was. Now, my brain knows this relationship is fundamentally unsafe, toxic, and heading in a dangerous direction. I want to step back, protect my peace, focus on my medical career, and eventually be single and independent. But my heart is completely stuck in a civil war. I keep mourning the sweet, affectionate guy he was for most of those 8 months, and I struggle with intense cognitive dissonance and guilt. To make matters worse, we were planning to finally meet in person soon, and now I am genuinely terrified to see him after witnessing that violent flash of temper. How do I process this? How do I find the strength to walk away gradually without triggering a massive explosion while I am locked in a high-stress academic environment? Any advice, similar experiences, or words of wisdom would mean the world to me. Thank you for reading.

My girlfriend has what we suspect to be some form of hypersexuality. She told me she gets these intrusive thoughts about having sexual intimacy with other people which she finds horrifying and she has reassured me that it’s not because of me and that this has been a thing for her even before we started dating but I am her first partner and now that she still has these thoughts she feels disgusted in herself. Can you guys give me any advice on how I can comfort her about this? It really doesn’t make me love her any less, I know these thoughts are involuntary. I just want her to feel a bit better about this and maybe help us work through this together. I’m really not sure how I’d begin to work through this or what would help but I just need advice in general. I love her more than anything and want to assure that she’s always safe with me

I like her a lot, shes so kind and considerate.

But when she speaks she often uses the same words and phrases over and over again, to the point where a single story she is telling is extended more than three times the length of what it could be, e.g.

'Basically'

'You know what i mean'

'Like'

'Literally'

Ive noticed that when i speak she regularly interrupts me and doesnt let me finish, and she doesnt often ask questions about me. The ratio of her talking to me talking is probably like 80/20. I did bring it up once, and we laughed about it but nothing has really changed. Also, i want to say in her defence, she is diagnosed general anxiety by her doctor.

How can i navigate this without being horrible?

I just told my mom that I find black women attractive, and that I like white women too, but I like both, she told me to have a good night and immediately hung up the phone.

Backstrory time, my ex girlfriend broke up with me about 2 months ago, and we had dated for 9 months. When we first started dating I kept it a secret from my parents as I didn't know how they would react to me having a black girlfriend. I eventually told my mom that I went on a date with her. And i told my mom because I was petrified of telling my dad, well turns out my mom was perfectly upfront with me and told me she didn't like it and was disappointed in me.

Unfortunately my ex and I had already started dating at the time and I truly loved her. So this was around the start of December, and we had just gone home from college for our month long winter break, i went the entire break without telling my family except for my little sister who kept my secret, but even she was worried about me. So during the last week of winter break I told my dad at dinner, he didn't say much, I asked how he felt, he said he was disappointed but he can't change what I do, but wished I didn't.

Then on the last day of winter break the night before I go back to college, I told my mom I was dating her, she said she didn't approve and wishes I didn’t date he. So the next day I drive back to college and see my ex. I hadn't been able to see her all winter break and it was amazing to hold her again, we had called every night. Well this night I got a call from my mother instead, she asked for me to go to some place private.

I went to my room and shut the door and the next words out of her mouth have haunted my relationship with her forever. She told me that she has talked with many family members, friends, people, and told me that interracial couples never work out. She explained how her best friend had married a black guy and he took everything and left her now she is working 3 jobs just to let her kids go to school. She said how the cultures are too different, and its not supposed to happen.

She then said something I would never expect from my parents, she said that she and my dad had talked and they were going to stop paying for my college unless I broke up with her, I broke down crying unable to process what I just heard. They told me that I didn’t need to date the very next girl that came by.

I argued and went back and forth with them, telling them how much i loved her, how they were so wrong, how I couldn't believe what they were doing. How all they had to do was just meet her to see how insanely wrong they were.

The next month they came up to college, met her, and they liked her. Over the next 9 months of us dating they came to love her too, she was over at our house all the time, my family bragged about her, my sister loved her.

Then like I said earlier she broke up with me 2 months ago, and I've finally been able to move on enough to want to be able to just talk to women again, and to find them attractive. Unfortunately for me, all the women I've found attractive, are black women.

Well tonight I told my mother that I had something that I didn't know how she would feel about, and I told her that i thought that there was a cute girl at the volleyball game and that she was quite beautiful, but she was black, and i told her that i didn't just like black women, but i liked white women too. To which she told me to have a good night and hung up.

I don't know what to do and I'm so scared of them pulling my college funds. I've already looked into door dashing for some cash or working at a local fast food place, or trying to do some online work with computer science (my major). I am so scared, what should I do?

Throwaway account because some coworkers know my main.

I (51M) am completely, deeply in love with my deputy manager, Leo (29M). We’ve worked together for about four years on a small team that I manage.

For context on the dynamic: I’m openly gay, and Leo has known that since early on. Over the years, our working relationship evolved into a genuine friendship, and we’ve occasionally flirted or traded light banter where I’ve made it clear I find him attractive. He takes it well, plays along, and doesn't seem uncomfortable, but he has no clue how deep this actually goes. To him, it's probably just harmless office chemistry.

To make things more complicated, there's a 22-year age gap, and the power dynamic is messy: I am his boss, though he is my second-in-command and handles a lot of the team leadership alongside me.

I know the golden rule of management and workplace ethics: Do not shit where you eat. I know dating a subordinate is a massive professional risk, especially with our specific dynamic and age gap.

So I'm sitting here with a massive bundle of feelings that I carry every single day, and I genuinely don't know how to handle it.

I'm hoping to get some outside perspective on things.

What on earth do I actually do with these feelings so I stop driving myself crazy?

Do I ever say anything to him, or do I take this to the grave?

Should I just plan on keeping my head down and waiting it out until one of us eventually leaves the company?

Has anyone been in a similar spot? How do you compartmentalize this without losing your mind or ruining a great professional (and friendly) relationship?

I'm 16, living in Uzbekistan, and I'm genuinely struggling with what to do about a situation in my family. I need honest, practical advice from people who aren't involved.

I'm studying for the SAT myself. My goal is to get at least 1200 through my own work. I've been studying English and mathematics, practising problems, and trying to build a future for myself through education.

My cousin recently received a 1440 SAT score, reportedly with a perfect math result.

The problem is that my mother directly admitted to me that the score was obtained through bribery. According to what I've been told, another family member paid most of the money involved. I'm not making this accusation based solely on his score. My concern comes from what my mother told me and I know what kind of a person my uncle actually is.

From my own experience, my cousin's English is extremely limited and semi A1 at best, and his mathematical ability appears basic. I've never seen him put in the kind of study effort I'm putting in. I understand that someone's everyday English ability doesn't prove what they can achieve on the SAT, so I'm not treating that as proof. My main concern is the alleged bribery my mother told me about.

What makes this painful is that everyone is congratulating him. People think he's academically successful, while I'm working hard to reach 1200 honestly. It feels like someone is receiving recognition for an achievement that, according to my own mother, was bought.

But this isn't just about the SAT.

My cousin has repeatedly called me stupid and wild. He orders me to help him with physical work and other tasks, even when I need to study. My family tells me I must help him, and my mother has previously justified his insults toward me. When I finally got fed up and stopped helping him, my mother complained about me instead.

I've felt for a long time that my family takes his side and expects me to tolerate the way he treats me.

This SAT situation has made everything worse.

I told my mother that bribery was wrong and that I couldn't bring myself to congratulate him. I wanted to report what happened because I believe people shouldn't be able to buy their way through an exam while others work honestly.

However, my mother doesn't want to get involved in what my uncle, her brother, is doing. I also have to consider the consequences of challenging my family, especially because another relative who may have been involved is seriously ill.

I'm now stuck.

If I report the suspected fraud, I fear my entire family will turn against me. Even if I submit an anonymous report, I'm worried they'll suspect me because I'm the one who objected to what happened.

If I remain silent, I have to watch my cousin receive recognition for a score that was allegedly obtained dishonestly. It feels as though he gets the reward while I'm the one who has to pay the price for objecting.

I know some people might tell me to forget about him and focus on my own future. I've tried to think that way, but it doesn't fully address the problem. I care deeply about fairness, and it hurts when I see wrongdoing being rewarded. It hurts even more when my own family is involved and I feel powerless to do anything about it.

I'm not claiming to be perfect. I'm angry with my uncle, and I've developed a lot of resentment toward my cousin because of how he treats me. I know those feelings could affect how I see this situation, which is one reason I'm asking people outside my family for advice.

I do have a teacher I trust. He isn't personally connected to my uncle or cousin, and I'm considering contacting him privately before making any decisions.

Here are my questions:

1. What would you do in my position? Would you report the suspected SAT bribery despite the possible consequences for your family, or would you take another route?

2. Is there a realistic way to report testing fraud while protecting your identity? I understand that an anonymous report doesn't guarantee my family won't figure out who made it.

3. Would speaking to my trusted teacher first be the best next step? What should I tell him, and how can I find out what he can keep confidential?

4. How do I deal with the anger and helplessness of watching someone get an unfair advantage while my family expects me to stay quiet?

5. How can I protect my education and future while deciding what, if anything, I should do about this?

I'm 16. I don't want to create unnecessary conflict in my family, but I also don't want to feel that I have to abandon my principles whenever a relative does something wrong.

I don't need people to tell me that I'm automatically right about everything. I need realistic, practical advice from people who have dealt with family pressure, corruption, or reporting wrongdoing.

What should I actually do next?

I (26M) have recently moved back in with my mom (57F) to save some money. My father passed away a few years ago. I’m living in the basement for the time being. When I moved in she explained to me that she has taken up a new kind of lifestyle where she is very sex positive. She’s made friends with new people who are into having casual sex, and sometimes they do this at her house. I didn’t judge or anything, and in my mind figured it wouldn’t be a big deal, but now I feel differently.

She’s hosted some of these nights a few times now, and each time she’s only brought home one of her female friends, but several male friends. They get incredibly loud upstairs, and I can hear it even from the basement. It is incredibly awkward. I don’t know how to bring up how it makes me feel. Advice?

This is a genuine real post. I’m 20 male and there’s these 2 girls (19F and 21F) that are my uni. I had sex with one (19F) and she suggested a threesome and yeah, it went on from there.

But this could be a really stupid question but how does it work? They’re both straight so I assume they don’t really want to do stuff with each other? I’m scared as hell that I’m gonna cum in like 5 minutes and that’s that yk?

Advice, suggestion? What should I expect?

I (f19) have never dated, I wouldn’t even say I have really had anyone ever show me serious interest (I’m realizing that there may be reasons for this).

For the longest time I connected that bc I didn’t get any attention (regardless of the reason) to mean that I was ugly.

While I’m not pretty by any real stretch (I’m very plain looking, and I don’t do a great job presenting myself, I’m not like unclean or anything fyi), I’m slowly realizing that the way my life has been setup and some other unintended behavior may have played a very large part in my lack of attention and non-existent dating life.

Still even with this realization, I still am struggling with my self esteem, self confidence and self image.

I do not want to get a bf just to make myself feel better, but I’m not sure what I can do to combat these feelings.