I recently got into an argument with my boyfriend after I told him that he was being childish for playing Pokémon.
I had been trying to spend some quality time together, but he was completely fixated on his phone, playing some type of game. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he was playing Pokémon. I couldn’t believe it – he was in his late twenties and was still playing a game for children!
I told him that he needed to grow up and stop playing such childish games. He didn’t take it well and started to get defensive. He said that he enjoyed playing the game and that it was his form of relaxation. I could understand that, but I still thought it was silly for someone his age to be playing a children’s game.
He then asked me what I would rather he be doing instead.
I jokingly said that he should play my “oyster” instead and while I was only joking, he didn’t take it well. He started to get really angry and said that I was being disrespectful and that he wasn’t some kind of toy.
I tried to explain that I didn’t mean any harm and that I was only joking, but he wasn’t having any of it. He said that I had crossed a line and that I was being inappropriate. He then stormed off and I was left feeling confused and embarrassed.
At the time, I didn’t really understand why he was so angry. It was only later that I realised that in his mind, I had just compared him to a toy. He thought I was saying that he was no better than a child’s toy, and that he wasn’t worth spending quality time with.
While I can understand why he was offended, I still think he overreacted. I was only joking, and I never meant to hurt him. I think he needs to understand that not everything is a personal attack and that it’s okay to laugh at ourselves sometimes.