Boyfriend thinks I'm sheltered

I think a lot of people are being quite harsh about this guy, he probably doesn't realise that he's hurting you. Next time he does it just stop him and ask him calmly to give you examples of how you are sheltered. He obviously won't be able to give you any and he'll hopefully stop making them stupid jokes.

The truth is that he knows you're better than him, and this is the one thing he's found he thinks he can put you down about to make himself feel better.

OP, this is not right. Relationships are supposed to feel nice. If the person you are with is making you feel bad, something is desperately wrong.

I know, I think I try and brush it off because it's not like this very often, and we do have good times too. I just don't want him to think it bothers me too much because when I've asked him not to belittle me, he's done it again but digs even deeper.

It's killing me waiting to have this conversation because I have to pretend everything's fine until I see him in person - he gets haughty if he comes to meet me knowing that I want a serious chat.

Love is ... bigging you up, not beating you down.

True...I just need to figure out if it's even worth trying to make this work anymore

See how your discussion goes. I think that will probably tell you all you need to know about how much he cares for your feelings.

After reading everyone's comments, I think you're quite right. You just want to believe that who you're with wouldn't want to hurt you. I would think that at his age, he'd know how to communicate and not take his own insecurities out on the people close to him.

Just agreeing with what most people have said, and again just think about once you'll have a job and will probably earn more whilst working in probably better conditions and you'll still be in the first half of your 20s whilst he'll be in his 30s...
Also you don't sound sheltered at all, for me that would be if you'd lived at home all your life with nice parents paying for your every desire. But you sound like you've seen a fair bit of the world!! (and as I've moved abroad multiple time, I vouch for how it is everything BUT sheltering >.<)

I think it's nice to have relationships that cross social and age barriers but there's reasons why there's not that many of them sadly :/ and it would be a shame to not be able to enjoy your success because he doesn't appreciate it!

However I do hope you guys can work it out and both gain from this!

Well guys, I had a chat with him today and he agreed not to make any more snide comments, but in a completely dismissive way as if to shut me up. I didn't even want to argue about it and approached him politely but sternly, and he just said, "Yeah, ok ok" because he didn't want to start an argument and bring himself down from the high he was on from moving into a new flat!

A couple of things.

So, you are still upset and he wasn't taking your comments seriously.

The chances are he'll be at it again soon. This will be the test of how serious you are. Do you think you've given him an ultimatum? In other words are you going to go if he starts up again? If you don't then the message you're giving him loud and clear, is that he can abuse you and you won't react. Expect, that from giving you verbal abuse it will degenerate pretty quickly into an odd slap or two, then an odd punch or two. Once you've had a baby it'll become a regular thing and more violent as he'll think you've trapped him and,paradoxically, you can't leave and are at his mercy.

This is a man without any self awareness who is harbouring deep feelings of resentment against you and, as we and you know, can't or doesn't want to control his 'teasing'.

This is a man who teases you more if you complain. ( He really is quite a nasty person. ) What about when you are ill or pregnant will he still be teasing you? Of course , even more, because that is what bullies do : they pile on the pressure as soon as they see some vulnerability.

What else do we know about him? He's very immature, can't control 'his body parts', is not living with the mother of his child. Is he even supporting his child financially?

Well, you've seen the future. He left ( or did she throw him out? hopefully.) his girl friend no doubt because he couldn't face up to the situation. He'll leave you too when things get real. Anticipate this and leave him instead. Be thankful you haven't got a child together and have to have a relationship with him for years to come.

A word of warning. The most likely time for him to turn violent is when you tell him you're off. His ego won't like it. Make sure you tell him in a public place preferably with a table between you. And make sure there's some one there to take you home. Change the locks if he's got a key.

Well that's good. Hopefully despite his tone, he will think about it and do what he has promised. If not, don't let him continue doing it.

Relationships alter, if you're lucky get better. If it's getting worse already there's not much hope for the long haul. You could end up as one of those couples who can't bear each other but can't break away. Nightmare.

Crucially you've got to weigh up the chances of him making you happy. And you making him happy.

I think you've got your answer on both counts - neither of you is happy at the moment and the dynamic of the relationship is not good, taking you in the wrong direction I fear. To an outsider it seems quite claustrophobic and unhealthy.

You don't have to break up badly - just explain calmly that you both need time apart to rediscover yourselves, or something.

Expect, that from giving you verbal abuse it will degenerate pretty quickly into an odd slap or two, then an odd punch or two. Once you've had a baby it'll become a regular thing and more violent as he'll think you've trapped him and,paradoxically, you can't leave and are at his mercy.