I need a bit of gentle help please to understand what a normal relationship should look like and if some of my thoughts on it are unreasonable? Real life friends tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. I'm divorced after finding the strength to leave an emotionally abusive and very dysfunctional marriage tho actually I do now realise we just weren't right for each other. We got together very young and divorced in our 40s.
I am now lucky enough to have a lovely boyfriend who I think accepts me for who I am and is good to my children. He himself is a great and doting dad to his own and we get on well. I have always been very independent and enjoy my own company. Partly through having to when we were growing up, then partly as escapism from an unhappy marriage. We've hit a stumbling block. After a few days together for a lovely holiday he started to just irritate me a bit. I said I needed to get home for a few hours before the kids got back just to have a bit of time for myself. He thinks it's a problem that on an enjoyable holiday he irritated me a bit. I don't really see it as a problem, it's just how I am, anybody would get on my nerves after lots of time together, he feels if he was right for me I wouldn't feel that way.
He thinks I expect too much from a relationship, too many tick boxes. I suspect sadly he may be right. I was unhappy for so long I think I've created this imaginary perfect partner - who I know doesn't exist.
I'm not very confident and always doubt my own opinion but am working on it. Sometimes I think he's perfect for me and sometimes I have thoughts about why it would never work (logistics being one). If you occasionally have doubts or want to have a little time on your own, away from both partner and children, does it mean you're in the wrong relationship? I don't know what is normal, what to expect. I feel I could easily drive him away as it's safer to be on my own. Blimey I don't even know what I'm asking here!! Some sort of perspective maybe?! Thanks if you've got this far!