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Coping with cultural difference in a relationship

User Profile: pinkShade832
pinkShade832 June 25th, 2024

ive been with my boyfriend for a year. He’s American and I’m from South America but lived in Canada my whole life and now I’m in the US.


we definitely have some cultural differences but I’ve been having a hard time dealing with some things.


I need to find a way to accept how he and his family are. But it bothers me a lot even though it doesn’t affect me.


we just talked over the phone now and he was talking about the fact he had pizza for breakfast and egg whites for a snack.

the rarely cook home made food and his mom always but pre made stuff. They are fit people but they just don’t cook.

my family is the opposite we value family meals and my mom cooks fresh food for us every day because she cares about us and enjoys providing us with a meal.

today in the phone I felt he was talking a bit too much about this subject in a mocking way of how he had pizza for breakfast a smoothie for lunch, egg whites because it takes too long to frack the eggs. And he’s drinking pickle juice. I felt that he was trying to annoy me almost wanting to sound very weird on purpose.

this annoys me on a level that I don’t know why because I shouldn’t care about his habits or his family’s habits.


he also got shoulder surgery a couple of months ago and now he wants to do Muai Thai. Even though I told him it’s too soon and that I would wait longer because he needs to be in good shape because of his job. He just goes straight into a martial art that he has no idea I what it is.


I need some advice on how to interpret this behavior and understand why this annoys me so much.


there’s way more things that are similar to this that I could list.

2
User Profile: EnlightenedArtist
EnlightenedArtist June 25th, 2024

Hi @pinkShade832✨ 

Cultural differences in a relationship have to be accepted and worked thru. It is a bit challenging, but can always be done. What I feel is happening to you now, is that you care about him and his well being, but you have to accept that you can not - and should not wish, to control him or his decisions. If he wants to start a new sport Let Him. Pizza for breakfast? Let Him


About interpreting this behaviour… well, maybe you could better take a moment to create some space within you to ask yourself: why does his way of being/acting is bothering you? Why his meal choices are upsetting you…? Of course he tells you that he had pizza for breakfast in a mocking way, he knows you don’t like that and he is joking, but to you it doesn’t feel right. Ask yourself why?

Ask yourself why are you on this relationship? Remind yourself that relationships are about to learn more about yourself… Would you like to be with someone that doesn’t know how to eat or take care of themselves nor are interested in doing so for now…? Or would you accept that’s the way He is. 

You cannot control him or his choices… but you can acknowledge yours✨

You deserve to be happy