Are you concerned that your boyfriend is treating you like a boy?
It’s not uncommon for couples to experience this issue.
In many cases, it can be a sign that your relationship is unhealthy and needs to be addressed.
Most romantic relationships involve the coming together of a man and woman with their different and unique features.
And this coming together is usually one that is mutually beneficial.
No matter what a woman does or how she looks, she likes to be treated like a lady.
This is also applicable to the man.
However, many relationships today are losing their savour because of the issue of misplaced treatment.
It is really repulsive for a woman that her man treats her like one of his buddies rather than a lady and his woman.
But this is happening in many relationships today, and there are several reasons behind it.
In this blog post, we will explore eleven possible reasons why your boyfriend might be treating you like a boy, and we will also consider ways in which the situation can be properly addressed and resolved.
10 Reasons Your Boyfriend Treats You Like a Boy
1. Role Models and Society
Many people, especially boys, are conditioned to act a certain way through the influence of role models and society.
It is important that you understand that societal norms and the influence of role models can shape how individuals perceive relationships.
If your boyfriend grew up in a society or community where male-female interactions center around friendship rather than romance, where both the guys and ladies treat themselves in the same way, it might unconsciously affect how he treats you.
Also, it could be that your boyfriend looks up to someone who treats women without respect or that he has grown up in an environment where men look down on women.
He may be unable to set the distinction straight.
2. Comfort Zone
It’s okay to be comfortable with your partner.
In fact, questions will be raised if you do not feel at home with your partner.
But too much show of comfort on your part can lead to complacency on your boyfriend’s part.
He might start seeing you as his friend because you are behaving like them.
So, while you’re at home with your man, remember that you are a lady and his lady.
Stay comfortable, but keep the romance alive and stay on a fleek.
3. Misinterpretation of Independence
It is important to be independent in a relationship.
If you are one who values and upholds your independence and self-reliance, your boyfriend might misconstrue this as a desire for a more casual, friendship-like relationship.
Every man wants a chance to pamper and take care of their women.
If you do not give them a shot at it because you decide to be “Miss Independence,” he may turn around and start to treat you like one of his kind.
But at the same time, it should never be interpreted as dismissing your partner’s opinion.
Your boyfriend might think that you are too strong-willed for him, and he may feel like you are not respecting his opinions or thoughts.
Make it clear that while you like your independence, you also crave emotional connection, affection, and romance in your partnership.
4. Lack of Emotional Intimacy
Physical intimacy is important, but emotional intimacy is essential for any relationship to thrive.
Without it, your partner may feel like he’s going through the motions without feeling connected or appreciated in the relationship.
Emotional intimacy is the ability to be vulnerable and share deep emotional experiences with your partner.
If you close up and refuse to share emotional intimacy with your man, or you cringe at his expression of emotional intimacy or the need for it, you may be encouraging him to have a change of heart towards you.
5. Overemphasis on Similar Interests
It’s beautiful to share similar interests with your partner.
But you cannot like everything he likes.
He is a man, and you’re a woman.
Men have their uniqueness, and so does a woman.
Let him own his manliness, and don’t try to share it with him because you want to share his interests.
Doing this will only make him consider you more casually.
So, while you’re twinning with him, set healthy boundaries and allow him to be the man in the relationship.
6. Prioritizing Friendship Over Romance
Some men are more inclined towards friendship than romance, and your boyfriend may be one of them.
You may be doing everything that needs to be done, but he unintentionally prioritizes the friendship aspect of your relationship over romantic gestures.
It’s natural to be friends with your partner as it fosters intimacy in the relationship.
But if you prioritize friendship over romance, then it may hinder the development of a deeper emotional bond.
Men need to have a romantic connection with their partners and feel appreciated and loved by them for their efforts.
If you tilt more towards friendship, he will unconsciously treat you as a man.
7. Past Relationship Patterns
People’s past experiences with relationships can shape how they approach new relationships.
If your boyfriend has had relationships where the women preferred to be treated like men or their equals, or other cases where the relationship focused more on friendship than romance, he might, without thought, treat you similarly.
It’s also possible that your boyfriend has experienced an unfulfilling romance in the past, and he is now more comfortable with a friendship-oriented relationship.
This could explain why he seems to be putting less energy into romantic gestures or trying to deepen the connection between you.
8. Lack of Relationship Experience
Before you complain that your man is treating you like a boy, find out if it’s his first time in a relationship.
People who are new to relationships in experience may struggle to create a balance between friendship and romance.
Seeing that the only kind of relationship they have been exposed to before is platonic friendship, it may seem so complex to offer you both friendship and romance at the same time.
And in most cases, they are able to offer more friendship than romance in their relationship.
9. Fear of Rejection or Abandonment
As long as a person has an active romantic life, heartbreak is almost inevitable.
However, some people in relationships are so afraid of heartbreaks that they build some irrational walls of defence as a mechanism to prevent pain if their partner rejects or abandons them.
This may be the reason your boyfriend is treating you with the same casualness with which he treats his paddies.
He may be protecting himself from deep emotional connection so that the pain can be minimal should you abandon him along the way.
10. Influence of Peer Pressure
Your boyfriend’s friends may be playing a huge role in his relationship with you.
If they value platonic relationships more than romantic ones, then chances are that your boyfriend is trying to conform to their standards and behaviour.
He might be afraid of being judged or ridiculed by them if he shows too much emotion for you.
It could also be the case that he is conscious of the way his friends would think of you and your relationship.
If they do not like or approve of you, then he may be afraid to open up to you entirely for fear that their opinions might drive a wedge between the two of you.
Whatever it may be, peer pressure maybe having a huge influence on his behaviour.
Conclusion
The way to know which of these is the reason your boyfriend treats you like a boy is first by talking to him.
Have a conversation with him where you lay out your concerns and find out his own concerns.
In the process of laying forth his own concerns, you can easily identify the reasons behind his actions.
Then, you both can work hand in hand to make the necessary compromises and adjustments to resolve the issue and have a blissful relationship.
You should bear in mind that in every relationship, both partners need to invest ongoing effort and commitment so that their relationship can grow and thrive.