My girlfriend is acting like the CEO of my identity and she’s not happy with the latest "me" rebrand.
I’ve(28M) been with my partner(32F) for nearly six years. Lately, I’ve been feeling this weird tension because I’m starting to actually enjoy things that the 22-year-old version of me would have hated. I’m getting into "boring" hobbies like gardening and watching historical documentaries, and I actually care about things like thread counts and waking up before noon on a Saturday. The problem is that every time I express interest in something new, she hits me with "Since when do you care about that?" or "That’s not who you are." It feels like she’s holding onto this version of me from 2020 and won't let me grow out of it. She makes these little sarcastic comments that make me feel like I’m being "fake" for just... maturing, I guess?
It’s reached a point where I feel like I have to hide the fact that I’m changing because I don't want to deal with the commentary. I love her, but I feel like I’m suffocating in a costume that doesn’t fit me anymore. Do I have a serious talk with her about letting me evolve, or is this just what happens in long-term relationships where you both get stuck in a specific "role"? I don't want to lose her, but I also don't want to be 22 forever.