Her mother saw me drinking...

I have a serious problem with my girlfriend’s mother, and nothing I do seems to make it any easier. She saw me drinking alcohol with a few friends at a street corner a few months ago and, since then, she has been avoiding having any real conversation with me. She doesn’t say nice things about me to my girlfriend and I think she is actively trying to convince her that I am a bad influence and that she can date someone a lot better. I know it was wrong to drink alcohol in public, but I am not an alcoholic and don’t want that one incident to colour her opinion about me. My girlfriend sympathises with me and doesn’t take anything her mother says too seriously, but it may be only a matter of time before she gets tired and agrees with her. I don’t want to lose her. What can I do?
You can speak to her mother directly, and explain, telling her why you think what you did was wrong. She needs to see other sides of you, too. Your girlfriend can help too, by telling her mother how you feel. Ultimately, your relationship depends entirely on how you and your girlfriend feel about each other, and what you choose to focus on. As long as she knows you, understands you, and believes in who you are, her mother’s opinion shouldn’t be able to sway her. If you can’t convince her mother to change her mind, make sure your girlfriend has no doubts about what you’re really like.

My boyfriend thinks I should spend more time with him but, whenever we are together, I’m the only one doing most of the talking. This is frustrating because he doesn’t communicate. How do I change this?
Give him time and, if nothing changes, point out that your relationship can’t evolve unless he tries harder. This is about a partnership, and open lines of communication are critical.