I have a big problem...

@LittleProblematic

So first thing is first, how about just dating? Put away the label maker, just date whomever you'd like and stop fulfilling the need to call them a boyfriend without knowing them for at least a year or two. This way, it satisfies your parents request to make relationships work, you spend more time getting to know the guy before giving him a fancy relationship title, and overall you'll find that your relationships will have a higher chance of success in working out. Your existing boyfriend, which you're clearly not as connected or into for that matter, can be released to find someone else.

Who cares if people call you names when it's your happiness that is at stake. Stop the disease of attempting to please others and giving into peer pressure. Everybody has an opinion, but the only one that really matters the most is yours.

It's very likely that your parents would like for you to stop the destructive habit of changing boyfriend as often as you change socks. In their perception, they are potentially worried about your ability to form long term relationships with the opposite sex. However, it is likely that they fail to see the fact that you're moving too fast, not spending enough time in the dating phase before you grab the label maker and make it official.

Now, about the ex. I have a common phrase, "An ex is an ex for a reason." You contradicted yourself in your post. In one sentence, he isn't going to take you back. Also, it may kill what friendship they currently share now - present boyfriend and your ex. Also, I find it interesting that the "bro-code" wasn't respected because typically dating a girl that is connected through friendship generally is not a good plan. Of course, the "bro-code" is really just a myth anyway, I digress.

There isn't something "wrong" with you. It's just the manner in which you're treating men in your life, how you're quick to move them into a relationship with you (even if it's their idea), and of course how much anxiety that you attach to it because you appear very concerned with perceptions of others.

Perhaps a course of action MIGHT be:

- End things with current bf, since you don't have a real connection there anyway

- Deal with the ramifications of ending things gracefully, head high - knowing it's actually doing HIM a favor more than yourself.

- Keep the ex at an arm's length and don't get mixed back up with him - he's an ex for a reason, AND you may be quite disappointed if he decided that he really doesn't want you back. The nice and meaningful conversations do not automatically mean that you're both right for each other.

- Find a new and healthy way to manage dating and relationships in your life, which will help you deal with the anxiety, other people's perceptions of you, and hopefully put you onto a much healthier path to making a relationship with the opposite sex work better for you. You may find that getting to know someone over a long period of time, is really the best medicine before you decide to give them the BF title - and when I suggest time, I would suggest at LEAST a year.

Good Luck!