DEAR ABBY: I've been living with my boyfriend for several years, and he has this habit of not locking the front door. Is this a guy thing? I have told him repeatedly that I don't feel safe when he does this, yet every other morning I wake up and the front door is not locked!
I feel like a broken record. His response is: "I'm here. Nothing is going to happen." He also doesn't lock the balcony door. Even though we are on the second floor, I still hate coming home to doors in the apartment that are unlocked. It makes me feel vulnerable.
Am I overreacting? How can I talk to him about it without sounding like a nag? -- AMBER IN TEXAS
DEAR AMBER: You are not overreacting. Your boyfriend appears to be operating under the delusion that he is a superhero. Too often we see reports in the news about yet another tragedy, after which a neighbor appears on camera saying, "I don't understand it. Things like this don't happen in our neighborhood."
Because you haven't been able to convince him to change his ways, the solution to your problem is to take the initiative and lock the doors yourself.
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
So lock the door your darn self. Get a door knob that locks whenever the door is closed - every time you leave you need a key to get back in. Problem solved. Duh.
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Out of all the lies I have told, "just kidding" is my favorite !
-- Edited by lilyofcourse on Sunday 20th of September 2015 05:30:59 PM
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!” ― Maya Angelou
-- Edited by lilyofcourse on Sunday 20th of September 2015 05:30:59 PM
But she leaves in the morning for work before he does, how can she lock the door herself? He is a jerk for not considering her feelings and safety.
Or if she does lock it at night, and goes for a walk or just go outside prior to him going to bed and leaves the door unlocked, what can she do?
Get up and lock it.
So you are saying when she goes to bed, she can't go to sleep in case husband goes out. You know what? She should stay up, not get sleep, wait for him to leave and then lock the door behind him.Then he and no criminals can get him.. Yep, good plan.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
Yes, time to move on to someone who WON'T put her at risk.
Who know what else this guy is doing or not doing?
"Honey, I got the oil changed in your car and put air in the tires." (but didn't ... )
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
We don't lock our doors--but yeah, if it's such an issue for her, why can't she lock them, herself?
REad my above posts Husker.
Read mine. Get the door knob that locks automatically every time you close the door. We had one and I loved it. Never worried about whether I locked the door or not. Then the burden shifts to him to remember the key. Perhaps she could put on a piece of yarn for him to wear around his neck.
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Out of all the lies I have told, "just kidding" is my favorite !
We don't lock our doors--but yeah, if it's such an issue for her, why can't she lock them, herself?
REad my above posts Husker.
Read mine. Get the door knob that locks automatically every time you close the door. We had one and I loved it. Never worried about whether I locked the door or not. Then the burden shifts to him to remember the key. Perhaps she could put on a piece of yarn for him to wear around his neck.
One guy I'm thinking of would probably take it off and hang it from the doorknob.
__________________
The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
-- Edited by lilyofcourse on Sunday 20th of September 2015 05:30:59 PM
But she leaves in the morning for work before he does, how can she lock the door herself? He is a jerk for not considering her feelings and safety.
Or if she does lock it at night, and goes for a walk or just go outside prior to him going to bed and leaves the door unlocked, what can she do?
Get up and lock it.
So you are saying when she goes to bed, she can't go to sleep in case husband goes out. You know what? She should stay up, not get sleep, wait for him to leave and then lock the door behind him.Then he and no criminals can get him.. Yep, good plan.
Or just get up for 30 seconds when he gets home and lock the doors.
She can dump him if she wants to. There is always that option. No one says she has to stay with him. It doesn't sound like that is what she wants, though.
It's rather like putting the toilet seat up or down. You can't b!tch about it--or you can just do it, yourself. It's not that big of a deal.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
Yes, time to move on to someone who WON'T put her at risk.
Who know what else this guy is doing or not doing?
"Honey, I got the oil changed in your car and put air in the tires." (but didn't ... )
What "risk"? What has happened because of this? We don't know what type of neighborhood they live in. The risk may be non-existent.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
I am very strict about doors and windows being locked. Locks are meant to prevent the risk of people breaking in, you don't have to wait for it to happen to start using them.
It is so simple to do, the fact that he wont is the issue, not whether the doors 'need' to be locked or not. We all have little quirks that our spouses cater to and we to them.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
Yes, time to move on to someone who WON'T put her at risk.
Who know what else this guy is doing or not doing?
"Honey, I got the oil changed in your car and put air in the tires." (but didn't ... )
What?
You realize you are criminalizing this person, right? Making him into some psychotic maniac.
It's a lock on a door. He isn't Charles Manson.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
Yes, time to move on to someone who WON'T put her at risk.
Who know what else this guy is doing or not doing?
"Honey, I got the oil changed in your car and put air in the tires." (but didn't ... )
FFS Yes. He's not really just an uncaring clod. He's really a sadist boyfriend with a plot to have her offed. Melodramatic much?
__________________
“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!” ― Maya Angelou
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
Yes, time to move on to someone who WON'T put her at risk.
Who know what else this guy is doing or not doing?
"Honey, I got the oil changed in your car and put air in the tires." (but didn't ... )
FFS Yes. He's not really just an uncaring clod. He's really a sadist boyfriend with a plot to have her offed. Melodramatic much?
OMG. I agree with NJN and lily twice in one night. I believe the world is ending...lol
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“Until I discovered cooking, I was never really interested in anything.” ― Julia Child ―
“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!” ― Maya Angelou
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I am very strict about doors and windows being locked. Locks are meant to prevent the risk of people breaking in, you don't have to wait for it to happen to start using them.
It is so simple to do, the fact that he wont is the issue, not whether the doors 'need' to be locked or not. We all have little quirks that our spouses cater to and we to them.
But she can do it, too. We are speculating that he's going out jogging late at night, or whatever. That likely is not the case--and she's not complaining about him leaving the doors unlocked during the day when they are not home.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
I am very strict about doors and windows being locked. Locks are meant to prevent the risk of people breaking in, you don't have to wait for it to happen to start using them.
It is so simple to do, the fact that he wont is the issue, not whether the doors 'need' to be locked or not. We all have little quirks that our spouses cater to and we to them.
But she can do it, too. We are speculating that he's going out jogging late at night, or whatever. That likely is not the case--and she's not complaining about him leaving the doors unlocked during the day when they are not home.
Yes, she does say she comes home to the doors unlocked.
You think that is not the case? I guess it could be that they go to bed at the same time and she- being so serious about locking the doors- for some reason keeps leaving it to him to do, even though she routinely wakes up to unlocked doors, but I think it is more likely that she goes to sleep before he comes home and asks him to lock up after himself and he just doesn't do it.
Yes, I agree that if they are both home and awake she can lock them herself, but I think she probably already does that.
We kind of had the opposite. DH grew up in the city. I grew up in small town USA. We never locked anything. We would go to bed and the only thing closed was the unlocked screen door. The main door wasn't closed half the time in the summer. We never locked our cars. DH on the other hand is a serial locker. And, this got annoying when we had kids because then everyone was coming and going. Or, they would be go outside and play and DH would lock the doors, etc. I think he just finally gave up, lol.
Get an alarm system. Even if they are renting an apartment, there are wireless ones you can install yourself. Keep the faub next to your bed. Alarm when you go to bed. If doors are unlocked, at least the alarm will wake you up if someone opens the doors.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
This is where I'm at with it. It's one small thing to make her happy and he won't do it . I bet he's controlling and Selfish in other ways too.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
This is where I'm at with it. It's one small thing to make her happy and he won't do it . I bet he's controlling and Selfish in other ways too.
Did you not get the memo? He put a hit out on her!
__________________
“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!” ― Maya Angelou
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
This is where I'm at with it. It's one small thing to make her happy and he won't do it . I bet he's controlling and Selfish in other ways too.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
This is where I'm at with it. It's one small thing to make her happy and he won't do it . I bet he's controlling and Selfish in other ways too.
But why can't it be a "small thing" for her to just leave it alone or lock them, herself? She's the one who seems rather controlling.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
Has it become an insurmountable obstacle at this point?
Personally, if they can't get together on this one little thing, they don't need to be living together.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
This is where I'm at with it. It's one small thing to make her happy and he won't do it . I bet he's controlling and Selfish in other ways too.
But why can't it be a "small thing" for her to just leave it alone or lock them, herself? She's the one who seems rather controlling.
Leave it alone? Because it makes her feel unsafe. Why should she have to go through life feeling unsafe?
Lock them herself? You are ignoring that she is coming home to unlocked doors. She can't lock them herself if she is gone before him.
He's an idiot.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
I have come home to find doors unlocked. Standing open even.
We don't know what kind of area they live in.
She could be over reacting or she could have very valid concerns.
She will have to decide if she wants to stay with someone who disregards her feelings.
Because in the end, that's what this is about.
He is dismissing her and her concerns.
That doesn't bode well for the overall relationship.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I agree with lily. If he were just forgetful and absentminded, I would give him a break and just lock them myself. My husband sometimes forgets. He grew up in an area and time where people just didn't lock them. It's not something that is automatic with him. I grew up closer to the city, and was the victim of burglary. It's automatic for me. I make it a point to make sure the alarm is at least on.
He's her boyfriend, not her husband. If he can't be considerate enough to do this one simple thing to help her feel SAFE, then maybe they should not be living together.
This is where I'm at with it. It's one small thing to make her happy and he won't do it . I bet he's controlling and Selfish in other ways too.
But why can't it be a "small thing" for her to just leave it alone or lock them, herself? She's the one who seems rather controlling.
Leave it alone? Because it makes her feel unsafe. Why should she have to go through life feeling unsafe?
Lock them herself? You are ignoring that she is coming home to unlocked doors. She can't lock them herself if she is gone before him.
He's an idiot.
Well, if he's an idiot, she can always break up with him--otherwise, its as much on her to put up with his quirks and hang-ups as if is on him to put up with hers.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.