Hello, I have been dating my boyfriend for over two years. I recently graduated from college and he has been out for a year, so I do see us getting married sometime in the future. However, there is one nagging problem in our relationship that I need advice on. Like every relationship, ours has its ups and downs. My boyfriend tells me that he likes for me to tell him when there are things bothering me. I am very open and honest about the things that do bother me, and I will admit there are times that I do get emotional when I talk to him about things. However, it is really frustrating to me that he tells me he wants me to talk to him about these things, but whenever I do he automatically jumps on the defense. I talk to him about these things hoping they are things he can improve on, but instead he just takes these things and defends himself. Also, often in the middle of these conversations he will begin talking to me about something completely out of the blue. I will be talking to him about a serious topic and then he will start asking me about a book or something. It is very annoying. Basically, I just need advice on how I can communicate with him the things that are bothering me without him getting upset/defensive and rather hearing these things and making a commitment to work on them. Thanks!
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