Man Slammed for Branding Partner's Valentine's Tradition With Dad 'Creepy'

A man has been slammed online after his girlfriend took to social media to ask the online jury whether he'd exhibited "red flags" or not.

The 23-year-old woman shared on Reddit that her 25-year-old boyfriend, whom she refers to as Mark, had labelled a Valentine's Day tradition that she shares with her dad "weird" and "creepy".

"Every year for Valentine's Day, my dad sends me flowers and a box of chocolate. He has done this every year since I've been old enough to remember. He'd always give them to me when I was little, when I went to college and beyond he has them delivered to me. It's just a tradition for us. I think it's sweet, I grew up in a really tight-knit, close family," the woman wrote.

"I started dating Mark a little over a year ago. Last Valentine's Day I got the usual delivery from my dad. Mark saw and said, 'Oh, your dad sent you those? Oh ,OK'. That was it."

"Fast forward to this year. Last night, Mark and I were discussing our Valentine's Day plans, he made a passing comment about hoping I don't get any 'creepy gifts in the mail this year'. I was confused and asked him what he meant, and he said, 'you know, how you got that stuff from your dad last year. It's creepy for a dad to be sending his adult daughter Valentine's Day gifts.' He stands firm that it's creepy and weird," she added.

The woman went on to share that Mark's comments are still bothering her.

"I have never heard these kinds of negative comments from Mark before and am not sure whether it's a red flag. I have never been in a serious relationship before and am still figuring it all out. When my dad's delivery comes this month, I don't want Mark to feel uncomfortable," she wrote.

Newsweek reached out to u/ via Reddit for more information.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it had been shared to the social media platform on January 1 by u/ThrowRA_OatMilk, the Reddit post has been upvoted by 3,600 users and commented on more than 4,000 times. The majority of the users reacting to the post have rushed to voice their support for the woman and criticize her boyfriend's conduct.

"The red flag is the boyfriend. Assigning creepy intentions to a sweet gift from the dad is ridiculous. This sounds like the kind of boyfriend who demands that their partner not ever hug a male relative or some other b*******," one user wrote.

Another user added: "The only red flag I see is coming from OP's boyfriend, and it's the size of Texas. Next thing is he will tell her she shouldn't have any guy friends."

"OP sounds like she needs to get away from this guy. This dad is setting up a standard of what kind of guy OP should date. Boyfriend think it's creepy because he doesn't understand simple gestures like this," shared a different user.

How to Handle a Red Flag

Relationship and body language expert at Love Works, Nicole Moore, offered Newsweek some general advice on how people should cope when their partner begins exhibiting jealous or controlling behavioral patterns.

"Always set firm boundaries," Moore told Newsweek.

"One of the biggest issues when dealing with a jealous or controlling partner is that they may attempt to invade your privacy or question you over and over again in an attempt to assuage their jealousy and need to control.

"You need to understand that jealous and controlling people often feel a need to control their own inner turmoil by grilling a partner with questions until they feel safe. You must set firm boundaries with your jealous partner to limit the grilling behavior.

"Let them know they can ask you one time about who you were with for instance, but they can't repeatedly ask the same question in a misguided manner," she added.

The relationship expert continued that people stuck in toxic relationships should be bold enough to request that their partner seek help, because it is their right.

"If you've realized that your partner is truly going to act jealous or controlling no matter how much you genuinely try to make them feel safe, it's time to recommend that they seek professional help for their issues," Moore explained.

"If your partner's wounds were created before you even met, they will likely need professional help to heal, because love is simply not enough to make deep emotional wounds go away."

If all efforts to smooth things over and establish a healthier dynamic fade, Moore advises people to then consider exiting from the relationship.

"Staying with a partner who will not get help to fix their jealousy and control issues is a recipe for disaster that will ultimately result in both you and your partner being severely unhappy," she said.

"If you stay with a jealous or controlling partner who won't seek help, you're setting yourself to be continuously blamed for someone else's negative feelings within, and this dynamic will wear you down over time," she added.

Have you noticed any red flags that made you end a relationship? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.