I am in a new relationship. It's been six weeks only. At first, we were just having fun, but now we've done an overnight trip together and have spent more than one consecutive night together. We're not committed per se yet, but it feels like the beginnings of a relationship.
At first, I didn't see much except for the fun side of him. Now I am seeing some new things that have me a bit concerned. My therapist says these are all yellow flags to be observed over time. She says I am test driving the car right now, without buying it yet.
So, the concerns are:
1) He looks at himself in the mirror a lot. On our overnight trip in a hotel, we got all dressed up for NYE and I witnessed him standing in front of the large mirror, talking to me and admiring himself for like an hour straight! This is not the first time I've seen him admiring or starting at himself like this. He's done this two other times.
Another time, we were watching a film projected onto his living room wall, and he posed naked in front of the screen, projecting his naked image and erection onto the wall, and was admiring it.
Is he in love with his own image? Is he a narcisssist? What IS this??? It was a huge turnoff, to say the least.
2) He is not over his divorce emotionally. It was a year ago, but this was his first Christmas being outside the home and having his kids visit him instead. That was very very hard on him. I counseled him for an hour about it on Christmas eve.
When we were at lunch on New Years day, we sat next to a family with three kids. He got all choked up and started crying when watching this family. He has told me he is totally broken up over the breakup of his family unit. He claims it is NOT about his ex wife (they did have some issues), but it is about not being with his children every single day and being a part-time daddy now. He also resents his ex's new boyfriend who gets to be around his kids more than he does.
3) He doesn't respond to every text or to everything I say. This is new. Some of my texts are ignored, only a few here and there, and some things I say to him directly are not responded to.
I don't know how I feel about that, but sometimes I feel ignored. My ex responded to everything I said.
I don't know. I am now starting to have doubts about him and I want to back up emotionally. I have not fallen in love or anything, and these things almost make me want to back away and out.
I, myself, am a bit scared of a serious relationship. I just had my heart broken not too long ago and am scared of getting hurt and disappointed again.
Any advice here? Perhaps you will say the same things as my therapist? Take it slowly, observe and watch these things and don't get overly invested?
Should I say something to him about his lack of response to some things that I say?
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