She is a better friend than girlfriend...

Illustration/Uday Mohite

My relationship with my girlfriend has started to become difficult. We used to be great friends for years until we realised we had feelings for each other and began dating. I don't know if she's right for me as a partner, because we have serious issues and don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. This was perfectly acceptable when we were friends, but it's not what I want in a relationship. I want to end this and go back to how it was when we weren't dating, but I don't know if she will accept that and still be my friend. What should I do? How can I fix this?
You can start by being honest with her, because this is someone who was and still is your friend. If you value her friendship, and her presence in your life, she needs to know that because it will also allow her to evaluate what you mean to her. Ending a relationship can be messy, and the two of you may not be able to go back to the way things were for a while. If you can both get over the initial awkwardness and focus on what is important to you both, there's a chance you can put this behind you and move on as friends. It may not be easy, but it isn't impossible either.

I want my boyfriend to act more mature but can't think of how to get him to do this. He is a great person, but he loses his temper for the smallest things and embarrasses me in front of my friends. They think he's childish and I agree. What can I do to get him to see things from my perspective and just grow up a little?
Try and call out his behaviour when it bothers you and tell him why it's a problem. Anger can derail any relationship and he needs to know that. You should also ask him to consider the possibility of speaking to a counsellor.

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