Relationships are a tricky game to play. Even when you venture into the dating arena, look for the perfect match, and find that dreamy soulmate-level connection, that’s not to say you’re meant to spend the rest of your lives together. Because eventually, the rose-tinted glasses come off, and you’re off to encounter your partner’s flaws you had no idea they had in the first place.

A 25-year-old woman has recently found herself in precisely this situation that led to a heated argument and a canceled date. As Reddit user LauraJade2013 detailed in her AITA confession, her relationship with Michael was pretty smooth-sailing until things took a bizarre turn. See, after Michael invited her to his house to meet his dog, she couldn’t believe her ears when the pet allegedly criticized her appearance.

“This shocked me completely,” the woman wrote. “I looked at Michael and asked if he was serious.” Turns out, he was. Scroll down to read the story in full, as well as the reactions from the AITA community. Keep reading to also find our interview with relationship coach Marta, the founder of MyCoachMarta. Then let us know what you think of the whole relationship drama in the comments!

This woman thought she was going to have a pleasant evening by going to her boyfriend’s house to cook dinner

Image credits: Alex Green (not the actual photo)

But things took a bizarre turn when his dog allegedly criticized her appearance

Image credits: Shawn Ho (not the actual photo)

Image credits: LauraJade2013

After reading the story, the AITA community expressed overwhelming support for the woman and deemed the boyfriend to be in the wrong for using his dog to insult her. Many sounded the alarm on the relationship dynamics, and some even urged her to break up with him.

The story seems to have deeply resonated with many. After all, we all know that only a few things can make you as thrilled to bits as those early weeks of a new relationship. The idea of love makes you feel like walking in a fog of bliss, hoping your partnership will become a solid entity. But an apparent match made in heaven can potentially cloud your judgment and make you miss the common pitfalls and red flags waving straight at your face.

According to Marta, founder of MyCoachMarta, relationships may crumble when masks come off by the four-month mark. “Few people can maintain a façade in the name of dating for much longer,” she told Bored Panda.

When asked about the tendency to turn a blind eye to red flags at the start of the relationship, Marta told us, “What’s obviously toxic behavior to one person can feel like home to another.”

“Red flag sensitivity will therefore vary from person to person, depending on their personal history. For example, someone used to having their feelings invalidated or emotional needs neglected won’t notice gaslighting as readily as someone brought up around emotional safety and attunement,” she explained.

When partners cannot accept the consequences of their actions and blame us instead, it implies that they are not relationally healthy or emotionally mature. “Whether the partner is correct in being upset or not, the outcome of any communication is in the response of the receiver.”

“In a healthy relationship, the initial response to the partner being hurt by our words is validation and an apology. Passing the blame is immature at best and a marker for denying the reality of the other partner’s experience, which is a type of crazy-making emotional abuse,” Marta warned.

Situations like this one can cause emotional havoc. They lead to unnecessary tension and unhealthy challenges and can grow into more serious issues with time. “Despite the fact that psychological or emotional manipulation doesn’t produce obvious bruises, it nonetheless always leaves a mark since abuse is abuse regardless of whether it is visible or not,” Marta mentioned the impact toxic relationships have on us.

“For the benefit of our future relationships, we must take some time to reflect and heal after ending any unhealthy relationship.”

The biggest problem with dysfunctional relationships is that we repeat them compulsively with different partners, Marta argued. “We run the risk of repeatedly encountering the same situations if we don’t face the fact that something about these dynamics matches our internal relational blueprint.”

“This is difficult to face, but relationally healthy people choose relationally healthy people. We all have built-in unconscious radars for our romantic preferences, so if we find ourselves in toxic relationships, we need to address the aspects of ourselves that attract us to them.”

To anyone finding themselves in perplexing situations with their partners, Marta was kind enough to share her insights on looking for a way out. “All relationships occasionally experience weird situations and misunderstandings. You should always feel comfortable telling your partner when something doesn’t sit right with you or when their behavior upsets you.”

“Be cautious if expressing your concerns is treated with defensiveness or contempt. If a pattern persists, changing it could need more introspective, extensive work.”

Relationship coach Marta suggested reflecting on three particular areas:

• Which of your needs are consistently not met across your relationships?
• In what ways do you not honor your values, standards, or boundaries?
• What poor behaviors do you tend to tolerate?

Once you answer these questions truthfully, you can move on to establishing clear boundaries and expectations in your relationships, both with yourself and your partner.

We’re curious to hear your thoughts about this story. Do you think the woman overreacted? Or were her actions completely justified? Feel free to share your opinions with us in the comments down below, we’d love to hear them!

Readers overwhelmingly sided with the woman and sounded the alarm about the relationship, here’s what they had to say

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