So I started seeing this Leo guy around Valentine’s Day. Big personality, super romantic gestures, love bombing galore at first – totally swept me off my feet. But man oh man, things turned sour real fast. My Virgo brain just couldn’t switch off analyzing mode.
Where Things Exploded
First big fight happened at a dinner party. He was center stage telling wild stories and I made this tiny correction about a detail he got wrong – just factual stuff, ya know? Boom! He got all puffed up like an angry rooster. Later he told me I “embarrassed him on purpose.” I was just being my normal detail-oriented self!
Tried fixing this twice:
Attempt 1:
- Made lists of his “great qualities” to focus on positives
- Practiced biting my tongue during his stories
- Result: Lasted two days before pointing out his shirt stain during brunch with friends
Attempt 2:
- Researched astrology forums like crazy
- Created “praise sandwich” technique for criticism
- Example: “Babe your vacation idea is AMAZING! (pause) Though maybe June has better weather than July? (quick) But seriously genius concept!”
The Turning Point
Saturday night disaster: His buddy asks where we’re eating. Before he could answer I jump in: “Actually Luigi’s closes at 10 now not midnight and parking’s terrible since construction started last Tuesday.” His face turned tomato red. Total silence the whole car ride.
My Fix Action Plan
Next morning I brewed extra strong coffee and made this chart:
- His Need: Public admiration → My Solution: Save factual corrections for private chats
- My Need: Planning security → His Action: Stop changing plans last minute
- Middle Ground: Scheduled weekly “rant sessions” where he gets 10 uninterrupted glory minutes while I get 10 precision complaint minutes
First test run at game night was ROUGH. He spilled nacho cheese on the couch and I physically bit my lip bloody not mentioning it till we got home. But holy crap – he actually praised my restraint later! Small win!
Reality Check Though
Let’s be real – it’s still fireworks over laundry folding methods and who controls the playlist. But since implementing our systems:
- Public fights dropped 70% (my estimate)
- His dramatic sulking spells shortened from days to hours
- My eye-rolling decreased significantly according to him
Is it perfect? Nope. Yesterday he bought concert tickets without checking the seating chart first and I almost had an aneurysm. But we’re learning. Slow progress beats constant battles. Taking it week by week!
