My (28F) boyfriend (28M) has been extremely stressed out in almost every aspect of his life (work and personal) over the past few weeks and I’d love to make him a little package to drop off to his workplace on Wednesday lunchtime.

He’s been struggling to sleep and is feeling pressure mounting on him.

So far I’m thinking of a “positive potato” plushie, his favourite chocolate and a handwritten note.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. What would you like to get in a little care package?

Was the experience actually different, or did you realize looks matter a lot less than you thought? What ended up mattering most?

I’ve seen discussions about various niche jobs, but I'm curious about the operational side of the adult industry. For those working behind the scenes in production or technical roles, what is your day-to-day experience like? How do things like benefits, insurance, and work-life balance actually work in that sector compared to standard commercial video production?

I am 18 and I feel like a kid, I want to become like my father and follow but I can not see myself ever being like him or as good as him when it comes to being a man.
Even in the daily I see people my age and other people and I just feel like I’m a kid. I’m still in my dad’s house rn but one day I’ll have to go off on my own but where do I start? How do I look like an adult lmao, how do I feel like I can handle myself and not need help from others, yk how do I become a MAN.

My wife and I have recently suffered our 2nd miscarriage is as many positive tests (a few months apart)since we’ve started trying in January of this year. It’s been very tough on the both of us. We’re still a few months away from being qualified for any sort of fertility testing.

My wife has a lot of support in this. Her mother, sisters, best friends, and of course myself. In our first miscarriage my sister in laws fiancés knew so he was there for me as much as he could be. This time around my wife only wanted a select few people to know. She has the support she needs, but I have no one this time around.

I’m really struggling right now but I don’t want to burden my wife with having to support me while she’s hurting so much. Out of respect for her I’m not telling anyone what’s happened, which brings me here.

How do I cope with this myself? I’m hurting so much for myself and my wife.

Edit: Thank you all for commenting and giving advice. Just making this post makes me feel a little better. I will stay strong and help my wife the best way I can.

Before everyone comes for me, hear me out. Also, women please chime in too!

A few weeks ago, I (38M) met a woman at the bar of an upscale restaurant. We hit it off immediately, had a great conversation, shared some drinks, and exchanged numbers. Neither of us asked the other’s age. I look significantly younger than 38 (thank you, genetics), so I assume she thought we were closer in age.

The next day, while texting, I found out she’s 24.

Normally, that would be an immediate dealbreaker for me. I mean, what could a 38 year old millennial possibly have in common with a 24 year old Gen Z’er?

Turns out, quite a lot.

We share the same taste in music, our parents immigrated from the same country, we both play pickleball, live in the same neighborhood, and frequent the same restaurants and bars. The list goes on. She’s also absolutely gorgeous, which certainly doesn’t hurt.

What surprised me most, though, was how established she is at 24. She’s educated, financially independent, and has a great career. At her age, I was still figuring my life out. She’s already accomplished things that took me until my 30s.

After texting for a while, I decided to give it a chance and asked her out.

Our first date was yesterday, and it was genuinely one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. We laughed constantly, had zero awkward silences, enjoyed great food, and even had meaningful conversations about our long-term goals. Surprisingly, we’re looking for the same things.

At the end of the night, she asked, “So when am I going to see you again?”

Here’s my dilemma.

I’m fully aware of how a 38 year old man dating a 24 year old woman might look. I know people will raise concerns about maturity, power imbalances, or assume I’m some creep approaching 40 who’s just looking for attractive arm candy.

But that’s genuinely not what’s happening here. We met organically, connected before knowing each other’s ages, and seem remarkably compatible. I also think it’s unfair to automatically assume a 24 year old woman can’t make informed decisions about her own relationships. She’s an educated, independent adult who seems to know what she wants.

Obviously, we’ve only met twice. Maybe this goes nowhere. Maybe we discover we’re incompatible. Or maybe date two turns into date three, and something meaningful develops.

My biggest hesitation isn’t our connection. It’s how my friends, family, and others might perceive the relationship. I don’t want to be viewed as some creepy older guy chasing women in their early 20s, because that’s never been my thing.

So, Reddit, am I overthinking this? Is a 14 year age gap inherently problematic when both people are consenting, independent adults who genuinely connect? Or should I stop worrying about what everyone thinks and just see where this goes?

TL;DR: I’m 38, met an amazing 24 year old woman organically without knowing her age, and we hit it off immediately. We have a surprising amount in common, she’s educated, independent, and established in her career, and our first date was one of the best I’ve ever had. My only hesitation is the 14-year age gap and how others might perceive it. Am I overthinking this, or is the age difference a legitimate concern?

EDIT: Wanted to clarify a few things since I keep seeing the same questions and assumptions come up.

* She knows my age. We told each other our ages at the same time, and she was not bothered by it.

* I have no trouble dating women closer to my age. My dating app age range has been set to 28–44 for the past year and a half (since becoming single). I’ve been on plenty of dates during that time, with the youngest being 30.

* Yes, I have friends and a social life. I’m not some socially awkward loner seeking validation from internet strangers. Of course I’ll be discussing this with my close friends as well. I just figured, why not get some outside perspectives from Reddit?

* My dating history is pretty normal, I’d say. Though I suppose “normal” is subjective. I’ve had three serious, long-term relationships, including an engagement (my most recent relationship). In between, I’ve dated casually, had a few flings, and a few friends with benefits.

Ultimately, I’m not here looking for validation or permission. I’m genuinely interested in hearing different perspectives on a situation I never expected to find myself in.

Hey everyone!

Have you ever dated someone who's just ridiculously calm? The kind of person who never seems to lose their temper, doesn't get worked up over stupid things, and stays cool even when everything around them is falling apart?

I've met someone like this, and honestly, I'm fascinated by how she handles things. Even when someone disrespects her or something goes wrong, she just doesn't seem to let it get to her. It's like nothing can ruin her peace. She's in a leadership position, and I've never seen her lose her temper, get visibly frustrated, or let other people's behavior get to her.

When I asked her how she manages to stay so calm, she told me that it's practically impossible to make her angry and that nobody has really managed to do so. According to her, that's simply how she is.

Everybody's saying her bf must be really lucky with her.

It got me wondering what it's actually like to be in a relationship with someone like that.

Does having such a calm partner make your relationship more peaceful, or can it sometimes be frustrating when they're almost impossible to upset?

I'd love to hear your experiences! Are people like this naturally wired that way, or is it something they've learned over time?

I once contacted a support hotline during a period when I was experiencing repeated physical, verbal and emotional abuse from a woman I was close to. Things had deteriorated to the point where I was feeling suicidal, and I genuinely needed help.

Instead, I was referred to an abuser intervention programme, with the apparent assumption that I must have done something to provoke the situation.

On another occasion, a woman working on a hotline asked me about my weight and hers. After hearing my answer, she essentially told me, "There's your answer. Now stop wasting our time."

What struck me was how quickly the situation was judged based on physical size, without any meaningful attempt to understand what had actually happened. Currently I am ok.

For example, what physical and personality traits attract you differently on men and women? And how do you behave with guys and girls on flirting/dating?

Do you usually make the first move on girls, do you make the first move on guys? Do you wait for anyone to make a move on you? Do you have an easier time flirting with either one?

Something that impresses people but is either second nature or incredibly simple to you

Unfortunately my body isn't very masculine. Im 160 cm tall, no body hair, ridiculously tiny hands and feet. I am also Asian. Sometimes my own mom would wear my own shoes and fit in them just fine and she's only like an inch shorter than me.

Literally everybody towers over me and I look like a child still despite being in my 20s. I even thought about going transgender in hopes of looking more human since its more socially acceptable to be a tiny woman but i decided against it because it would get me disowned by my family. I pretended to be a girl online for a bit and people actually treated me better.

I do go to the gym and got more muscle but I can't make my tiny bones bigger.

Whether it was about finances, relationships health, or career. Whats the biggest lesson you had to learn the hard way.

I'm just curious, and ladies you can answer too (but in the context of a man did it), of what happened. What made them laugh? What was something that feel like emanated "Oh they know I'm/he's funny."

In terms of a reaction: It can be innocent or nsfw I suppose but I'm not necessarily looking for jokes but stories of a specific occurrence/time where you felt or realized this specific paradigm shift. Involved jokes can be dirty or not I suppose (mods or reddit it appropriately I think).

It could have taken the form most meaningful as you know them (some people are more boisterous than others). Whatever as a guy made you think Oh she thinks I'm funny or as a woman Oh, he's funny in a general sense.

Obviously this is a characterization that can/does build overtime so just give me the moment or a few in particular that felt significant. Sort of like "I knew I loved them when X happened" but replace love with humorous.

When I'm at a bar, guys who approach me usually just chat and if there's some chemistry, they ask me out on a date. No trying to hook up that night.

I'm surprised because I'm genuinely not there for hookups and somehow they seem to notice. I don't dress conservative or look nerdy. I even wear minis.

Meanwhile, my friend dresses pretty much like me but goes there looking for hookups, and she attracts exactly those guys.

So how do men pick up on this I really wonder?

*sorry for my bad english

Asking because I'm considering doing this and wanna see how it plays out.

When I met my cousin's ex-wife and her family for the first time, I knew I didn't like them right away. They came off as fake nice and fake generous. My mother didn't like them either but we were still polite and cordial. Somehow everyone else liked them though.

2yrs into the marriage, my cousin has major business problem, she cheated, her parents helped her get divorced from my cousin, took all the stuff from their home. They're seperated now. My cousin went out with his friend group the other night. Ex-wife saw one of my cousin's single girl friend (part of the friend group) in his IG story the night he hung out with them, called said girl friend and went off at her, accused her for *trying to steal* my cousin away. A freakin nutjob I tell you 😂. When I was told the story, I remember telling my cousin how I never liked her and her family. They fake af and everyone fell for it.

I don’t mean crazy colors like pink or red I mean going from brown to blonde or highlights etc, in highschool I always see girls doing stuff like that but men not as much

I am trying to be better about having a better idea of things I regularly need to do in order to keep my house and car up.

For background, my wife’s tires on her car were very low. I didn’t realize this and my father-in-law made a comment about it. He regularly would check these things for my wife and the rest of the family. My wife was also missing a lug nut, which my father in law spotted.

What are some things I should be doing or checking around the house or car just so I can make sure that everything is shipshape?

Going through a brutal divorce and wanting to hear stories of others experiences. I loved being married but I wasn't a good spouse. Trying to change my ways and in group therapy now. Also looking to do individual therapy soon. Interested in hearing why you divorced and how you made changes in your life.

Hi, I’m 25F and I’ve been on my own for more than 3 years now. When I say on my own, I mean it literally like doing every single thing alone because this was the life I dreamt of growing up. I felt, if I have a decent corporate job, a room, have 3 meals a day, have control over cleanliness around me, live minimalistically and travel then I could be satisfied with my life. I’ve achieved most of the things I dreamt of except.. sometimes I wish i had someone with similar aspirations in life but I’ve some issues with social anxiety and inferiority complex.

Are there men who live the same lifestyle but just genuinely need a companionship that’s not sexual?
Maybe nothing makes sense in this post but I just felt like asking here, can’t ask anyone irl